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reputation while reaching this position,
collecting more than 600 awards.
DDF is an operation of immense scale,
and Ramesh knows it inside out, having
worked at the company for 29 years. Before
that, he completed an MBA at Utah State
University. He has also worked on a number
of major projects owned by DDF’s leisure
division, including the five-star hotel
Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, and popular Dubai
venues The Irish Village and Century Village.
Ramesh credits Executive Vice-Chairman
and CEO Colm McLoughlin for being the
driving force behind the success of the
airport retailer over the past 35 years. Colm
was one of the original Aer Rianta team
members contracted by the Government of
Dubai to set up DDF back in 1983 and has
been at the helm of the business ever since.
“Colm is an incredible boss from whom
I have learned a great deal over the years,”
says Ramesh. “He has stayed in touch with
all aspects of the business over the past 35
years and that continuity at the most senior
level has been very positive for our business.”
In 1987, Ramesh implemented the
company’s IT functions, including installing
Oracle Retail Applications, an e-business
portfolio, a commerce suite, and a number of
custom applications, such as tools for
workflow management and a new point-of-
sale system. This upgrade facilitated the store
to extend its operations, necessary to keep up
with the exponential growth at the airport.
Ramesh later progressed into a senior
vice-president role, where he was responsible
for the information technology and logistics
arms of the business, before moving into his
current COO position in 2016.NEW RETAIL SPACES
Having previously overseen the launch of
Concourse A, Concourse B and Terminal 3
at Dubai International Airport, Ramesh was
ideally placed to helm DDF’s addition of
a link corridor from Concourse B to
Concourse C (which exclusively services the
airport’s flagship carrier, Emirates).
An even more significant project Ramesh
managed was the development of DDF’s
giant Concourse D retail space, which spans
more than 7,000 square metres. Ramesh says
the older DDF store at Concourse C was
built in 2000 to coincide with the opening
of the concourse. It saw all the traffic from
Terminal 1 until 2016, when the airport
changed its configuration. Retail spaces have
also changed significantly in this time. “That
store is still very good,” Ramesh considers.
“The Concourse D space is now a brand-
new building with a brand-new fit-out.”
According to him, the project has been
well-executed and a new train that connects
the new concourse to Terminal 1 has been
a roaring success. “It’s a fantastic retail offer,”
he enthuses. As passengers enter the duty-free
area, they are met with an orderly layout of
liquor, tobacco, food, fashion and gold
bullion. “Every passenger can take a journey
through the retail area. But unlike a lot of
other airport retail spaces, it is easy to
orientate yourself and locate other things,” »“ The experience the customer
has with that particular
brand in the particular shop
is the most important.”
DDF COO Ramesh Cidambi with staff.
INNOVATE | Interview