Baker Salleh takes Sky Connection reins as Livingstone steps down

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Former DFS Taiwan chief Baker Salleh is assuming the role of ceo at Hong Kong International airport liquor and tobacco concessionaire Sky Connection. He replaces Bob Livingstone, whose contract with the company has expired.

Livingstone will remain with the company until January to oversee the handover. "I had a three-year contract with Sky Connection which came to an end. When I decided not to renew it, the owners asked me to recommend somebody who could take the business forward, and Baker fitted the bill. The business is developing nicely and it will benefit from somebody new looking at it."

Salleh has worked with DFS Group for 30 years, including as head of DFS' Taiwan operation. He continued: "In a sense I am going back to my roots. I began working with liquor and tobacco at Chek Lap Kok. Bob has a tremendous team there. But the dynamics of the market have changed, and now the tough part of the job will be to get back to the previous levels of penetration and passenger spend. There is increasing interest in liquor and tobacco in Hong Kong, with strong Korean traffic, the Japanese returning and the challenge of attracting mainland Chinese consumers."

Livingstone said he would be looking for new opportunities within the duty-free business. "I'm looking for something interesting and challenging, and I'm fairly flexible about where that would be located."