The Moodie Davitt Report brings you the latest instalment in our popular series Ten Easy Pieces*, in which we get up close and personal with leading travel retail personalities via ten snapshot questions.
Meet Wonderful Pistachios Director of Sales Global Travel Retail James Kfouri, the Wimbledon-born adventurer who wanted to join the military but found his niche in sales instead.
1. Where were you born and raised?
I think it is fair to say that my birth – in Wimbledon, UK in 1967 – was the start of a rather unusual upbringing.
My mother, Maureen, was from Essex and my father, Michael, an Irish-born second-generation farmer in Sudan. Mum was a stewardess with BOAC and my parents had met on a flight to Cairo. When they married my mother moved to Sudan and worked for Sudan Air until they decided to start a family. Mum returned to the UK to have me and just days later we returned to Khartoum in Sudan.
My younger sister, Catherine, was born two years later.
My memories of life in Sudan as a small child are idealistic however things eventually turned sour due to the revolution. The government was overthrown, the family farm confiscated, and my father thrown into jail. My mother, sister and I were deported to the UK.
All was good until war broke out in 1975 and we lost our first Beirut home to a rocket
Back in England we really had nowhere to go. Dad was released quickly and joined us in a move to stay with the Irish side of the family, on a farm in County Down, Northern Ireland.
From Ireland we moved to Beirut and my schooling started in the French Lycée there. My father moved into the tobacco industry, with Rothmans, and all was good until war broke out in 1975 and we lost our first Beirut home to a rocket.
Rothmans relocated my family to Greece. In a way it was good timing as I was getting into a bit of trouble hanging out with the Palestinian kids in Beirut. My sister went to a local school and my parents decided to send me to a boarding school in the UK.
2. How did you cope in that very traditional English setting?
Boarding school was ideal for me. There were many students who had parents living abroad so I was not alone; in fact boarding school taught me how to relate to kids from many different cultures and backgrounds. After I finished Prep School in Surrey my parents sent me to Grenville College in Devon, mainly because of its sporting culture. It was a great choice.
At Grenville I was involved in Duke of Edinburgh’s Award activities on Exmoor and Dartmoor; I tried sky diving, sailing, rugby and many other sports. It was a very inclusive culture – you had the opportunity to give anything a go and I gave everything a go so long as it wasn’t academic!
Rugby and athletics were my stronger sports. I ended up Devon county champion for 400m hurdles and played in the North Devon under-21 rugby team when I was 16.
I continued with rugby after finishing school, playing competitive rugby in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Melbourne. It remains one of my great loves although injury keeps me from playing now.
We were quickly taught never to kick a soccer ball you found lying on the street as it could have been a booby trap or bomb
3. Any standout memories from that action-packed childhood?
There were many of course but three unique ones come to mind.
As a very young child in Khartoum I was warned never to jump into the swimming pool without checking the water first. And I don’t mean checking the water level. Crocodiles from the Nile would sunbathe on the grass and then were known to crawl into swimming pools. There was always a thought to look before you leap.
Another standout memory is that of hiding under my parent’s double bed in Beirut when a bomb attack started. The bed was set on blocks so there was room for all of us to take shelter until things settled down.
4. As a teenager or young man what career did you have in mind?
After leaving school I joined my parents in Saudi Arabia, with a vision of joining the military. I had been brought up in war zones and I wanted to join the fighting. That, of course, didn’t sit well with my parents who didn’t understand my feelings at all.
I rebelled for a while and did a lot of windsurfing. I loved the sport and did quite well in the Saudi Arabian championships. Eventually the reality set in that I needed to either continue my studies or get a job. I chose the latter.
I took a job with a local Saudi distributor for Philip Morris in merchandising and sales. That was possibly one of the best things I ever did.
Life in Jeddah was very enjoyable; I was playing rugby, windsurfing and scuba diving. At work I learned about the business from the best, working from the ground up. Philip Morris invested in me by sending me on training courses and giving me opportunities to travel and expand my knowledge. It was a fantastic start to my career.
When the Gulf War broke out in 1990 a lot of people started to leave the Middle East. I was not too fussed about the war but saw an opportunity to head to Dubai which was at the beginning of a huge period of growth.
I wrote letters to over 50 companies seeking employment, one of which was Dubai Duty Free. Colm McLoughlin contacted me and invited me in for a chat. I remember that conversation in the old airport and I still appreciate that he took time to see me. Colm remains a friend to this day.
I ended up working at the Dubai World Trade Centre, organising trade shows before moving back into the FMCG area with a local distributor.
It was in Dubai that I met my Australian-born wife, Binky. We had not been seeing each other for very long when I was recruited by Swiss food company Hero. As part of my induction I was required to spend six months in Switzerland, which surprisingly was more of a culture shock than any other country I had lived in.
Hero was a great company to work for; they put a lot of trust in me and allowed me to take a fresh approach with their sales and marketing throughout the Middle East.
We were a small, happy family but I think we just woke up one night and realised we had to get out of there. My reasons for living in the Middle East had changed; my life had changed and, with a family, home was going to be in Australia.
One of the projects I was involved with for Hero was the launch of their baby food business in the Middle East. This eventually meant that I would be required to move to Jeddah – at very short notice. With only two week’s notice Binky and I were married, packed and on our way to our next adventure. We stayed there for four years.
They were turbulent years – the second Gulf War started and then, just a few years later, 9/11.
Chloe, our first daughter, was born in Saudi Arabia. We were a small, happy family but I think we just woke up one night and realised we had to get out of there. My reasons for living in the Middle East had changed; my life had changed and, with a family, home was going to be in Australia.
I set up a consultancy business in Melbourne with the aim of representing Australian companies wishing to export to the Middle East but at that time I found it an uphill battle. Having no Australian work history made it difficult for Australian companies to trust me. There were also a lot of misguided fears about doing business in the Middle East.
That was until Darrell Lea, a well-known Australian confectionery brand, approached me and I joined them as Export Manager. We uprooted once again and moved to Sydney for 18 months. It was a great job and I was dealing with large global retailers, but I ended up wondering why I was there; I was in Sydney when home was back in Melbourne.
In 2006 I attended the Cannes exhibition exploring possibilities for Darrell Lea. It was my first time there and it proved a door-opener.
5. In what way?
At the exhibition I was introduced to Ryan Hill who was then International Sales Director at Paton’s Macadamia, based in Melbourne. Ryan contacted me after the show to say he was leaving Paton’s and he thought I would make a good replacement.
That meant yet another quick move, but it also opened the door to the world of travel retail.
The travel retail industry excites me as it brings together my passions for travel and marketing premium brands. The most attractive part of the industry is the network of fantastic people I have met along the way. There are so many opportunities to collaborate and learn from one another in this unique market.
I stayed with Paton’s until April 2012 when I joined Wonderful Pistachios.
6. What prompted that move?
The move was prompted by an introduction by Art Miller [Excel Brand Solutions Founder and former Revlon Managing Director for Global Travel Retail].
The thing that excited me about Wonderful Pistachios is that they had a strong desire to expand their travel retail business with a goal to be the number-one pistachio brand in the world. Until I joined Wonderful Pistachios their presence in travel retail was very limited. We are now listed in 53 countries and growing.
The Wonderful Group is a family-owned business that places a high value on the wellbeing of its employees. They really do care about their people and the communities in which they do business.
I feel very fortunate to work for a company who give me the autonomy I desire with all the resources and support I need.
7. Let’s consider the changing face of travel retail. What are your predictions for the future of the snacking category?
As has been discussed at many a conference, retailing in the travel retail channel is becoming more competitive with online and mass merchants as a threat. I believe that competition is not a negative; it just means that we need to lift our game, be dynamic and offer something unique or different such as exclusive packaging, local flavours and bundles suitable for gifting.
The rise of F&B in airports shows that the consumer is not afraid of spending while travelling. We need to focus on providing excellent products with a point of difference and not be solely driven by price.
Healthier snacking, such as Wonderful Pistachios, has a place in travel retail as it can bridge the gap between the retail offering and the F&B offering.
I predict greater growth in the healthy snacking category as consumers are becoming more health conscious.
8. Would you describe yourself as a hands-on manager?
Yes, I am very much hands-on. I still enjoy going into the stores, working with the staff and local sales teams and receiving feedback from customers. I’m always learning.
I believe one of my strengths is leading by example, getting out there and doing it.
I like the challenge of being given new territory, starting from scratch with a blank piece of paper, meeting new people, and launching products.
9. For someone who has lived and travelled in many countries, where is home?
For many years I was a nomad, enjoying living in new places but having nowhere to call home, even though I have three different passports (Australian, Irish and British).
I made a conscious decision when I moved to Australia that this was going to be home for my family and me. I would embrace it whole heartily including supporting the Wallabies, despite their limited success over the last few years (this will change later in the year at the RWC in Japan).
10. Wind-down time for James Kfouri. What are your favourite pursuits?
The first is definitely quality time with my wife Binky, our two daughters Chloe, 16, Zara, 13 and our newest addition, Eadie the Labrador. We are a very close family and spend a lot of our down time together.
Our passion is snowsports and we spend every winter weekend at our local ski resort, Mount Buller. It’s a beautiful place with a wonderful, friendly community of like-minded families who love the outdoor lifestyle. My motto is ‘the family that skis together stays together’.
We all have a shared interest in music, I am a music fan and attend many concerts however I don’t have any musical talents myself. I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen – I have seen The Boss many times live and even gave up the opportunity to see Live Aid in 1985 to see him perform at Wembley. Unfortunately, I have not been able to convince the rest of the family to become Springsteen fans; that’s a work in progress.
Both of my kids are musical, taking after their mum. Chloe has a beautiful singing voice and Zara is a talented cellist. I am so proud of them.
Another interest is running. Due to my travel commitments I find it difficult to be involved with team sports however I find that running is a great way for me to keep fit whilst travelling. Years ago I ran in the Melbourne marathon and I have completed several half marathons and many other fun runs. I run for fitness; I do it because I can.
I’ve led a pretty unconventional life so far; no regrets of course. It’s been good. If I was to die tomorrow, I could at least say my life has not been boring.
*PREVIOUSLY FEATURED TEN EASY PIECES PERSONALITIES INCLUDE:
Meet Mars International Travel Retail General Manager Gary Clarke
Meet Maui Jim Senior Duty Free Sales Director Giles Marks
Meet Duty Free Development Consulting Founder and CEO David Dayan
Meet Victorinox Head of Travel Retail Thomas Bodenmann
Meet Duty Free Global Founder Barry Geoghegan
Meet Swiss Eyewear Group Business Development and Travel Retail Director Rebecca Harwood Lincoln
