Nordic group rings changes as Bork resigns

John Rimmer

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Alan Bork is to step down as Nordic Travel Retail Group chairman as he winds down his consulting company

Former Copenhagen Airports retail development director Alan Bork has stepped down from his role as Nordic Travel Retail Group chairman. At the association's annual general meeting yesterday he explained that since he planned to wind down his travel-retail consultancy business by the end of the year, he felt it was the right time to hand over the chair. He will be replaced by Maxxium Global Travel Retail regional director northern and eastern Europe and former Inflight Service executive Erik Thomsen.

Bork said: "It's with sadness that I am resigning. The reason is that I am phasing out my consulting projects in the travel-retail industry to take on new challenges. Whether this means that I am entirely leaving the industry remains to be seen. However, it is certain that changes will happen, and because of the uncertainty of my future involvement in travel-retail, I have found it right to hand over now.

"I have been involved in the association since 1996, in the first place fighting for keeping intra-EU duty-free, and later to be part of rebuilding the association to confront a new reality. However, the second part of that journey was the more interesting, from the ultimate low point in June 1999 after losing the battle for duty-free, to today's much stronger association reflecting a strong and thriving travel-retail industry, and now covering not only Denmark, but the whole of the Nordic region." Bork added that he would remain a board representative until the end of the year.

New chairman Thomsen said: "It's with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I have accepted to become chairman of the association. The industry is facing a lot of challenges and I have seen how difficult conditions sometimes are for this industry. I truly believe a strong association covering the whole of the Nordic region can make a difference. Together with the rest of the board I shall look forward to continue the work we have laid down over the past years, and to launch new exciting initiatives for the travel-retail industry in the Nordic region."

At the Nordic group's AGM two new board members were elected; Inflight Service CEO Peter Candell and Travel Retail Norway general manager Pål Wibe. They join current board members My Travel Airways purchasing manager Lars Hjartbo, Hans Just travel-retail sales manager Jan Hesdorf, A&E Petersen sales manager Lars Münter, Scandlines manager onboard services Henrik Tornager and House of Prince international sales manager duty-free Tage Juul Christensen.

RavenFox.com says: Alan Bork has been a loyal servant of the Nordic duty-free business, during and after his successful career at Copenhagen Airports. His appreciation of the need for airports and retailers to work in partnership has been central to his contribution to the industry and RavenFox.com is sure he has further contributions to make.