INTERNATIONAL. Episode 3 of TRI-POD, the new Moodie Davitt Report video podcast series in association with The SEVA Group, features Diageo Global Travel General Manager – Europe & Americas Nick Cook.
Each edition involves a different guest chatting not just about the travel retail industry but also about their own lives, likes and inspirations.
TRI-POD is hosted by The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie and Roger Jackson, Managing Director of Dubai-based The SEVA Group IMEA and Organico Solutions, the Dubai operation of The SEVA Group.
In this edition Nick Cook talks about a career journey that has taken him to Ghana and to the Seychelles before securing his current role in Global Travel just as the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020.
As a result he has spent the past 16 months doing anything but travelling. But he affirms his and Diageo’s faith in and deep commitment to the travel retail channel.
“I think that COVID actually gave us an opportunity to really forensically look at the business like we’ve never done before,” he says. “There were already some pretty big trends around penetration rates dropping so the spirits category was not growing at the same rate as passenger numbers.
“That really started to trigger us to ask what are we going to do differently and actually how do we be the partner of choice to accelerate out of this pandemic.
“That led us to a category approach, which was actually fairly new, particularly in the alcohol industry, for global travel. And last year, at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo we launched our brand new category strategy with a very bold ambition to try and double the category.”
As always, Roger and Martin don’t just talk shop with their guest. Find out what duty free item Nick might crack open on a balmy evening on our resident desert island; what music he might listen to while there; and also the fascinating quartet of special guests he plans to invite to an al fresco dinner
If you would like to appear on TRI-POD, or have a recommendation as to who should, let us know at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com
