Colm McLoughlin, the CEO who put Dubai on the aviation map

When it comes to a lifetime of achievement, Colm McLoughlin is up there with the global greats.

At 80 years old, and with more than half a century of industry experience under his belt, the Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO remains at the sharp end of leadership – rubbing shoulders with the likes of 91-year-old Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway’s chief for 58 years.

Regarded as something of a pioneer – having put Dubai on the global aviation map by launching Dubai Duty Free (DDF) in 1983 – Colm is the engine behind DDF’s extraordinary growth, from US$20 million in 1984 to US$2 billion 25 years later (2019).

And with better-than-expected turnover of US$1.74 billion in 2022, and sales likely to surpass 2019’s record by the end of 2023, the Dubai-based octogenarian is unlikely to be hanging up his corporate boots anytime soon.

Ireland – the formative years

Colm’s duty-free journey began in Ireland in 1969, at Shannon Duty Free, the birthplace of the industry – where, in the seventies, Shannon Airport served as a major gateway and refuelling stop between Europe and the US.

Rising in the travel retail ranks to Shannon Duty Free General Manager, the Irish businessman was headhunted in 1983 as part of a 10-member team by the Dubai Government to launch a world-class duty-free operation.

Arriving in Dubai in July 1983, a day before his 40th birthday, Colm and his colleagues got straight to work, and within six months had DDF up-and-running – taking US$44,000 in sales on the very first day, and US$20 million in the first full year.

Asked to stay on as General Manager, what began as a six-month contract for Colm has since turned into an extraordinary 40-year journey – one that has delivered remarkable success for Colm, for Dubai Duty Free, and for the city of Dubai. 

The rise of Dubai Duty Free

As well as setting the regional benchmark for airport retailing, under Colm’s leadership, DDF has landed numerous industry firsts, and secured in-excess of 750 awards – bagging the Airport Duty Operator of the Year Award within its first two years of operation, and more recently landing the Frontier Award for ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ for a record tenth time.

The multi-billion-dollar business has continued to rack up record sales too. From US$32 million in 1986, turnover climbed to US$95m in 1990 – breaking its own revenue records multiple times during the nineties – before rising to US$380m in 2003.

By 2011, the business had retained its status as the world’s largest duty-free three times in a row – a record that held until the end of the decade.

“In 2019, Dubai Duty Free was the single largest duty-free operation in the whole world. We had business of US$2 billion that year, employed 6,000 people, and were being copied all over the world,” Colm said in an interview.

And while sales have not yet returned to pre-pandemic highs, “the target is to take Dubai Duty Free back and surpass 2019, and that is happening so far,” Colm announced during May’s Arabian Travel Market.

Middle East’s biggest travel retailer

In true visionary leadership style, Colm has continued to make major investments – investing in the expansion of the retail offer in Dubai International Airport and at Al Maktoum International Airport, with luxury boutiques rolled out even during the dark days of the pandemic – and in the latest technologies.

DDF rolled out its online offer in 2014, and has since established a 360-marketing approach, automated 95% of its distribution centre in Ramoul – and in an industry first, introduced digital currencies as payment.

Under his leadership, DDF has expanded beyond its retail operation and into leisure with several hotels, F&B, and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, as well as a series of high-level sporting events like DDF Tennis Championships and DDF Irish Derby.

Attention-grabbing promotions have also been part of DDF’s marketing mix, and a huge part of the company’s success, with Millennium Millionaire counting a good many Dubaians among its millionaire prize winners since the 90s. 

“Retail-tainment has been a conscious decision and is part and parcel of our marketing policy”, Colm says, adding that DDF budgets 2.5% of its topline income on promotion and marketing. “We judiciously spend on marketing and that’s the secret behind the uptick in our sales per head YoY.”

And on the sustainability front, Colm has long recognised the need for commitment, with DDF holding ISO 14001 certification since 1999, and prolific in its rollout and promotion of environmental projects. Among these, an ecosystem restoration journey, which calls on the organisation to plant 10,000 trees in 10 years; and a carpooling system, with 55% of employees on board.   

A passionate philanthropist, in 2004, Colm established the DDF Foundation and has since supported 45 local and 56 overseas charities. 

Hardworking and humble

For his astute leadership, long-time service, and extraordinary dedication, Colm has himself racked up 80 awards, becoming the first non-UAE national to receive the Most Distinguished Employee Award from the Dubai Government in 2000, and earning a spot in Forbes’ top 50 most influential expats in the UAE list.

Signs of leadership potential came early for Colm, who began his career at Australian multinational retailer Woolworths in London, where he quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the youngest managers in the company.

Renowned for being hardworking and humble, Colm consistently credits his success to others – be it to his current Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, or his wider team.

“It is not me. It is not Colm McLoughlin. It is the great dream team we have at DDF that has taken Dubai to an all-new level,” he told Gulf News in 2021. “We are all like one big family. We all know each other well. We care for each other.”

He’s even been known to credit success to the “can-do” attitude of Dubai. “It is amazing how there is no bureaucracy, and our ideas are put into action with quick approvals. Regularly we sit together and brainstorm. That works well.”

Whatever the concoction of reasons behind DDF’s success, there is little doubt as to Colm McLoughlin’s impact – on the business he has both born and bred and on the city he has called home and helped to build over the last four decades.