Juul-Mortensen: TFWA to keep "open mind" on Ford successor

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John Rimmer

23-May-2006

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The Tax Free World Association president tells RavenFox.com the organisation will take its time to find a new CEO as Andrew Ford prepares to join DFS Group

Tax Free World Association (TFWA) will take its time to find a replacement for outgoing CEO Andrew Ford, the trade body's president Erik Juul-Mortensen has told RavenFox.com. Ford is to join DFS Group as vice-president business development this summer, it was revealed yesterday.

"I'm a firm believer that when you close one door, you open another," said Juul-Mortensen. "I'm confident that there are a lot of very talented people out there who will be interested in this post. It's a great position, central to the industry, with a big profile. I believe there will be a lot of candidates for the role."

Juul-Mortensen stressed that Ford's successor need not emerge from the brand-owning community, adding that the successful candidate would not be a "copy" of his or her predecessor. "We have not determined whether the new CEO should be someone from the supply community. As far as I'm concerned it could be anyone: supplier, operator or someone with a background in another trade association. I'm very open, as is the TFWA management board."

Juul-Mortensen said that he was "hopeful" the association will have made an appointment by this October's Cannes exhibition, but added that "it would not be the end of the world" if the post remained vacant by then. He insisted that Ford's departure would not derail TFWA's plans for its blue riband event in Cannes, nor its involvement in the Middle East Duty Free Association conference in Dubai a month later.

"The organisation of Cannes is already on track. Andrew has been an important part of that but he is only one of a team. Cannes will not suffer and I do not for one second believe that future events will suffer either. We have a very good team in place and I have total confidence in them."

However, with Ford's departure and the late Linda Hopkins yet to be replaced as research and conference director, Juul-Mortensen called on TFWA's management board to "get more involved" in the day-to-day running of the association in the interim period. "As is usual in such cases, we are giving everyone a bit more responsibility while we try to cover these two gaps in our team," he said. "There was a time when it was normal for the management board to be closely involved in the day-to-day running of the association. We managed to move away from that, but for a while we will all have to get a bit closer to the day-to-day business."

Meanwhile Juul-Mortensen paid tribute to Ford's contribution to TFWA, notably his success in bringing stability to the organisation. "He joined TFWA at an important time in its life, and has been heavily involved in all the activities that have shaped the association," he said. "We've had pretty much the same board as when he joined in 1999, and he must take a lot of the credit for that stability, especially at a time of considerable turbulence in the industry. However no man is an island: he's had the full backing of our staff and of the board.

"Moving to DFS will be an exciting change for him and I wish him the very best."

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Juul-Mortensen: TFWA to keep "open mind" on Ford successor

John Rimmer

The Tax Free World Association president tells RavenFox.com the organisation will take its time to find a new CEO as Andrew Ford prepares to join DFS Group

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