Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has named Simon Warburton as Vice President and General Manager for its Worldwide Duty Free (WWDF) operations.
The move follows the retirement of David Francis after 40 years with the company and eight leading the duty free function.
A UK national, Warburton will be based in the company’s global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. He transfers there after two and a half years in Singapore, where he was responsible for JTI’s growth in the WWDF Asia Pacific region.
Previously he had managed duty free operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa out of Weybridge, UK, after having held various positions in the Consumer & Trade Marketing division.
“I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity to lead JTI’s WWDF function,” said Warburton. “It’s a particularly exciting time for us.
“In 2016, we were voted ‘Number One Travel Retail Partner’ across all categories. We will continue to champion our philosophy of working closely with customers throughout the sector to deliver solutions that lead to mutual benefit.”
The company added that David Francis will enjoy “a well-earned retirement – he plans on continuing to travel the world”.
