Sarah Branquinho becomes 1st woman President of TFWA

The Tax Free World Association (TFWA) has announced the election of Sarah Branquinho as its President following a vote by the TFWA Management Committee. She succeeds Philippe Margueritte, who completed a one-year term in the role.

Sarah’s election marks a historic milestone for TFWA and the wider travel retail community, as she becomes the first woman to serve as President of the Association.

A highly respected and long-standing leader within the global duty free and travel retail sector, Sarah brings decades of experience spanning advocacy, commercial strategy and industry governance. Her appointment reflects her significant contribution to the sector as well as TFWA’s focus on strong, future oriented leadership.

Sarah currently serves as President of the Duty Free World Council (DFWC). Her career in industry advocacy began with her appointment as TFWA’s first Commercial Director. She later played a pivotal role in the campaign opposing the abolition of intra-EU duty-free sales, serving as Secretary General of the European Travel Research Foundation from 1995.

Sarah’s commercial career includes senior leadership roles at BAA and World Duty Free, with her responsibilities later expanding to Aldeasa following Autogrill’s acquisition of the business. After the creation of World Duty Free Group and its subsequent acquisition by Dufry, she was appointed Director of External Affairs for the global travel retailer. Following her departure from Dufry in 2018, she continued to work as an external affairs consultant, supporting initiatives focused on inclusion, cultural sensitivity and workforce diversity.

Most recently, she led the duty free industry’s evidence-based campaign that resulted in the World Health Organisation’s decision at MOP4 to conclude discussions on any alleged link between duty free sales and illicit tobacco trade.