The TFWA management committee has voted Sarah Branquinho as the new President of the association. She succeeds Philippe Margueritte, who held the role for the past year. Margueritte and Branquinho were the only two candidates who had put their names forward for the role of President.
Branquinho will be the first woman to hold the presidency. Her one-year mandate will run until December 2026.
Branquinho is currently President of the Duty Free World Council (DFWC), and has held a number of advocacy roles.
Appointed as the first Commercial Director of TFWA, she went on to play a central role in the duty- and tax-free industry’s campaign against the abolition of intra-EU duty-free sales, serving as Secretary General of the European Travel Research Foundation from 1995.
Branquinho’s commercial career includes senior roles at BAA and World Duty Free, later expanding her remit to Aldeasa following Autogrill’s acquisition.
After the formation of World Duty Free Group and its subsequent acquisition by Dufry, she was appointed Director of External Affairs for the retailer. After stepping down from Dufry in 2018, she worked as a consultant to Dufry in External Affairs.
Most recently, Branquinho led the duty-free industry’s campaign that resulted in the WHO’s decision at MOP4 to close discussions on any link between duty-free sales and illicit tobacco trade.