We are female leaders - Diversity, Inclusion & Equal Opportunities in the Work Place
2023-01-20

WiTR Dinner
2023-02-14 | Hamburg

From Girl Power to A Women in Power
2023-03-07

WiTR & TUMI on International Women's day
2023-03-08 | London
Join WiTR event hosted byTumi
on
International Women’s day – 8. March!
TUMI is kindly inviting all WiTR members and friends to an exclusive event at their fabulous store in London’s Regent Street on 8th March from 1700.
This is, of course, International Women’s Day and you are invited to join us to celebrate the power of women and the journey they take to succeed.
“A Woman’s Voyage” will start at 1700 with drinks and canapes, and although this is primarily a wonderful networking event, during the evening you will have the opportunity to learn some fantastic packing tips and to discover TUMI’s new women’s collections: Voyageur and 19 Degree.
A highlight of the evening will be a motivational speaker who will talk about the path to success.
If that wasn’t enough, there will be a business card draw and a gift bag on departure – and a 20% discount will be available to those swayed by the luxury and quality of TUMI’s products.
The event will close at 1930.
Whether you live or work in the UK, or overseas, you are very welcome to join us.
Please see below the official invite – we kindly ask you to RSVP to Gerry Munday – Vice Chair, WiTR at gerrymunday2811@gmail.com latest 01 March 2023.

Best regards
Sarah Branquinho (Chair) and Gerry Munday (Vice Chair)
on behalf of the WiTR steering committee: Aude Bourdier, Myriem Chalabi, Sinead El-Sibai, Amanda Felix, Lucy Hillyard, Rowena Holland, Mona Lebrasseur, Erin Lillis, Chandra Mahtani, Lois Pasternak, Nina Semprecht, Jo Willey

IAADFS Summit of the Americas - Meeting
2023-04-16 - 2023-04-19 | IAADFS Summit of the Americas

WiTR Meetings - TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference, Singapore
2023-05-07 - 2023-05-08 | TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference, Singapore
Women in Travel Retail (WiTR) members and friends are invited to meet on Tuesday May 9th at the TFWA Asia Pacific Lounge from 1730. A special area has kindly been reserved by TFWA for us to catch up with old friends and make new connections at the first ‘normal’ post pandemic TFWA Asia Pacific event
WiTR’s membership is growing and members are welcome to bring others interested in joining to this event – don’t forget your TFWA badge!
We are delighted to announce that celebrated actor, producer, writer, humanitarian and stand-up comedian Maitreyi Karanth with be joining us for the first half hour before leaving for a gig the same evening.
Maitreyi is the founder of the KOMA KARANTH FOUNDATION, WiTR’s charity for 2023. You will not fail to be moved by her story and what she will tell us about the community that she – and we – are helping
The KOMA KARANTH FOUNDATION’s mission is to build a KOMA community in the impoverished municipality of Gloria, Oriental Mindoro (Philippines), providing homes, education, old age community centres, medical support and support for single women as they strive for self-sufficiency. WiTR’s project will be to raise funds of at least €15,000 which will cover the cost of building three homes for the community. We’ve got off to a good start with a donation from The MoodieDavitt Report, and another personally from Martin Moodie.
To date the KOMA KARANTH FOUNDATION has built 24 homes, an old age community centre, a tutoring centre for children, provided solar streetlights, drilled water wells and connected it by pipe and pump up to the mountain into water tanks for the tribal community of 26 families. The Foundation also provides transport for these tribal children to go to school and provide their lunch at school. They have also built and equipped convenience stores for single mothers to own and earn, as well as a cake shop, tea shop etc.
We look forward to a good turn out and to hearing how you have all fared since we last met.
With very best wishes
The WiTR Steering Committee: Sarah Branquinho (Chair) and Gerry Munday (Vice Chair), Sinead El-Sibai, Amanda Felix, Lucy Hillyard, Rowena Holland, Myriem Chalabi, Mona Lebrasseur, Erin Lillis, Chandra Mahtani, Lois Pasternak, Nina Semprecht, Jo Willey, Caroline Buisson

How to Succeed as a Female Executive in the Middle East
2023-05-16

WiTR+ & Joe & The Juice
2023-06-30 17:00 - 19:00 (Europe/London) | Joe & The Juice, 8 Berkeley Street
Women in Travel Retail+ is delighted to announce another exclusive networking event hosted by Joe & The Juice and the Blueprint Partnership – open to all WiTR+ members and friends.
The event will be held at the Joe & The Juice London store (8, Berkeley Street) on the 30th of June from 1700-1930, where attendees can enjoy a delicious range of pastries and non-alcoholic cocktails and juices.
Sarah Branquinho, WiTR+ Chair, says: “Many thanks to Joe & the Juice and the Blueprint Partnership for their support of WiTR+. Our last event in London was a great success and we look forward to another fun and productive evening.”
Places are limited to 50 so please RSVP to Gerry Munday at gerrymunday2811@gmail.com by 16 June at the latest to secure your place.

Modern Leadership "Wake Up Call" for Business
2023-07-11

Summer in the City with APTRA
2023-08-01
Thank You APTRA and WiTR for showcasing komakaranthfoundation.org. I was overwhelmed with the support and platform to represent our work and team. Thank You Sunil Tuli and Erin Lillis for organising this fantastic event! The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA), in partnership with Women in Travel Retail+, drew more than 80 members of the travel retail community to its Summer in the City networking event in Hong Kong. Also speaking was KPMG Head of Consumer and Retail ASPAC Anson Bailey, who shared his perspectives on the latest travel and travel retail trends.

WiTR+ Charity Event
2023-08-02 11:30 - 13:30 (Asia/Singapore) | Changi Experience Studio

Women in Cruise Retail - through the lens of a generation
2023-09-12

WiTR+ Meetings - TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, Cannes
2023-10-03 | TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, Cannes
Photos taken by Grant Pitchard

A Year On
2023-11-14

Christmas Quiz
2023-12-05

Koma Karanth 2023 Charity Update with speakers Maitreyi Karanthi and Tracy Ross
2024-01-16
Speakers:Maitreyi Karanth KKF & Tracy Ross – ARIME

Sustainability Discussion Panel
2024-02-01 17:00 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | Diageo London Office
WiTR+ members met in the Halcyon Bar at the Diageo headquarters in London to enjoy their first event of 2024 sponsored by Daigeo with drinks and canapes. The event included in a lively and honest discussion about sustainability within the retail sector. Panelists Sally Allington (Ethos Farm), Smruti Sriram (Bags of Ethics), Clemmie Raysnford (Diageo) and moderator Angela Farrugia (Founder of Brand X Society) explored various approaches and tools to foster a path towards a more environmentally conscious and sustainable future in retail.

Unconscious bias in the workplace / Inclusivity in the workplace with speakers Alex Wilson and Nick Cook
2024-03-12 12:00 - 13:30 (Europe/London)
Speakers: Alex Wilson TUMI & Nick Cook DIAGEO

APTRA
2024-03-20 | Dehli
Delegates at the inaugural APTRA conference in Delhi (March 19-21) were invited by WiTR+ to meet up and enjoy a cocktail or two before the event Gala Dinner. Kindly sponsored by Bacardi, this was a super opportunity to catch up with friend and colleagues whilst making those important new contacts. WiTR+ steering committee and APTRA board member Erin Lillis welcomed attendees, outlined the purpose of WiTR+ and encouraged new membership, highlighting the corporate membership now available.

WiTR+ Networking Event
2024-05-14 10:30 (Asia/Singapore) | TFWA Asia Pacific Lounge

Sustainability in Travel Retail with speakers Bérangère Felbabel and Chiara Rolland
2024-05-28 12:00 - 13:30 (Europe/London)
Speakers: Bérangère Felbabel QANTIS INTL

TR Consumer Forum
2024-06-03 13:00 - 14:30 (Asia/Muscat) | Cuba Bar, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel (8th floor)
Dubai Duty Free, in collaboration with Shiseido and L’Occitane, hosted Women in Travel Retail Plus (WiTR+) networking event on the first day of the TR Consumer Forum in Dubai. The afternoon tea event which was held at the Cuba Bar of the Jumeirah Creekside, provided a fantastic chance to catch up with fellow female industry executives and delegates of TR Consumer Forum and discover some new beauty products in the process.

Networking in Paris
2024-06-18 | TBC, Paris
A huge thank you to Caroline Buisson of Brown-Forman and Nicole Daniells of TFWA who organsied a Parisian get together for WiTR+ on the 19th June at Café A in Paris.

The invitation for this event was extended to WiTR members and non members, providing an excellent opportunity for networking and fruitful exchanges within our WiTR community. Companies who attended included Brown-Forman, TFWA and Globe Agency.
This event was organized in collaboration between Brown-Forman and TFWA, two companies sharing a common commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the Travel Retail field.
We look forward to hosting more WITR+ events in the future in Paris next year and they will be posted on the events page once confirmed.

Asutil
2024-06-19 - 2024-06-20 | Bogota, Colombia
Nearly 30 fantastic women from Latin America and other regions met in Bogota during the ASUTIL conference (18-19 June) to network and hear about the exciting new developments at WiTR+.

Some were members already, but for many this was their first WiTR+ meeting and there was real enthusiasm to contribute to developing an active WiTR+ group in Latin America.
We talked about all the elements that are making WiTR such a great group for women in the travel retail industry to join – from the networking sessions, to our monthly webinars, the resources that our newly revamped website will contain, our charity activity (this year FRASI – nominated by Essence Corp), and last but not least our plans for a mentoring programme.
Most of those attending were keen to know how to become members, either as individuals or through Corporate Partnership scheme, and are determined to start by creating an event in Miami later this year, taking inspiration from events like the recent one held in Dubai, organise by Sinead ElSibai at Dubai Duty Free in conjunction with the TRB conference.
A big thank you to Republica del Cacao who fuelled us with delicious coffee and chocolates, and to ASUTIL and TFWA for all their help.

Thriving in APAC: Navigating Work and Life with speaker Erin Lillis
2024-07-09 12:00 - 13:30 (Europe/London)
Speaker: Erin Lillis – Lacoste

Gebr Heinemann Event
2024-07-10 | AENDRE (Schlüterstraße 86, 20146, Hamburg
Thank you @Gebr. Heinemann for hosting our latest WiTR+ networking night in Hamburg.

Around 30 female executives from travel retail and representatives of Gebr. Heinemann suppliers met for a dinner at ÆNDRÈ restaurant. The welcome speeches were given by our Chair @Sarah Branquinho and @Saskia Möller, Director Legal, Compliance & Sustainability, who has been a member of our Steering Board since the end of 2023.

@Janine Op Het Veld, founder of ÆNDRÈ, spoke about her career, challenges in her industry as a woman and her mission to contribute to sustainability in the world with her food. In a very personal keynote speech, @Kerstin Schepers, Managing Director Heinemann Cruise Liner Global GmbH Retail, addressed the importance of motivation, confidence and trust in oneself and combined this with key insights from her own personal and professional experience.
“We are delighted that the second WiTR+ networking event we´ve hosted as Gebr. Heinemann was so well received,” says Saskia Möller. “We chose ÆNDRÈ because it is run by a very committed intercultural team of women and because it focuses on sustainability, with high-quality vegan and seasonal dishes and food sharing. In both my roles at Gebr. Heinemann and WiTR+, it is very important to me to combine personal, human-centric exchange with sustainability.”
A fundraiser for FRASI´s “Bike to School” project in Sri Lanka, which we significantly support this year, also contributes to the sustainability aspect. Gebr. Heinemann has kindly agreed to double the amount raised. We would like to express our sincere thanks.
Many thanks also to all wonderful women who joined and made our Hamburg event another great opportunity to learn from, inspire and support each other.
#EmpoweringWomen #Networking #Charity

Crafting Mentorship Excellence: From Seasoned Programs to Tomorrow's Initiatives with speakers Judit Balardi and Natalie Fernandez
2024-09-17 12:00 - 13:30 (Europe/London)
Speakers: Judit Balardi BEAM SUNTORY & Natalie Fernandez HEINEKEN

Best of British (Members only)
2024-09-18 17:30 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | Tateossian Head Office- Imperial Wharf
This is a members only event.

TFWA World Exhibition (Members only)
2024-10-01 16:30 - 18:30 (Europe/Brussels) | Brown Forman Stand, Cannes

Empowering Connections: Unlocking Leadership Potential Through Networking
2024-10-29 18:30 - 22:00 (Europe/Paris) | Bacardi, Rte de Meyrin 265, Meyrin, 1217, Switzerland
On October 29, 2024, Geneva hosted its inaugural Women in Travel Retail (WiTR+) networking event at the offices of Bacardi. This first-of-its-kind gathering in Geneva brought together more than 40 influential women from the travel retail sector, creating a unique platform for connection, inspiration, and empowerment. The evening featured engaging conversations along with an inspiring talk by Dominique Ben Dhaou, Managing Director of PointNorth.
Dominique, with her extensive background in HR leadership across 12 industries globally, spoke on the theme, “Empowering Connections: Unlocking Leadership Potential Through Networking.” Her insights on leadership and well-being set the stage for meaningful interactions among attendees, sparking discussions on collaboration and professional growth.
This landmark event not only marked a pivotal moment for women in Geneva’s travel retail sector but also paved the way for future gatherings, strengthening networks and fostering a community of empowered female leaders.
Our thanks go to Bacardi for hosting the event and to Avelines for the tasty gifts.
