Mega Movers and Shakers Ramesh Cidambi Managing Director, Dubai Duty Free Ramesh Cidambi took over the reins of Dubai Duty Free as its managing director in June 2024 and reports directly to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Duty Free. Prior to his appointment as the MD, Cidambi served as chief operating officer for eight years, overseeing all operational aspects of the company. His journey with Dubai Duty Free began in 1988 as head of the IT division. Over the years, he held several senior positions, managing logistics and major retail developments at both of Dubai’s airports, encompassing over 40,000 square metres of retail space. Under his current role, Cidambi also supervises the Dubai Duty Free Leisure business, including the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, The Irish Village Bar and Restaurant (at two locations), Century Village, and the Dubai Duty Free Stadium. During his 36-year tenure, Dubai Duty Free has grown into one of the world’s largest airport retailers, with sales reaching $2.16bn in 2023. He remains connected to the domestic retail market as the chairman of the Merchants Advisory Board and treasurer of Dubai’s Retail Business Group. You might also like Sunil John Dr. Thumbay Moideen Vidya Chhabria Mohan Valrani K. Rajaram Dr. Adnan Chilwan Sanjiv Kakkar Ram Kumar Thota Raghu Malhotra Sunil Kaushal Atif Rahman Amit Jain Rishi Kapoor Vasu Shroff Anil Pillai Bal Krishen Rohit and Sharad Bachani Raju Ramesh and Sunil Paul Ayesha Depala John Paul Joy Alukkas Geet Bhalla and Digvijay Pratap Snehal and Sunita Hadani Nisha Jagtiani Kunal Kapoor Dino Varkey Ashish Panjabi Joy Alukkas Yogesh Mehta Yusuff Ali M.A. Ravi Pillai Micky Jagtiani Sunny Varkey Sunil Vaswani Shamsheer Vayalil Firoz Merchant Rajen Kilachand Azad Moopen Tony Jashanmal Paras Shahdadpuri Dr. Zulekha Daud Adeeb Ahamed Dhananjay Datar Rizwan Sajan PNC Menon Sima Ved Shaji Ul Mulk Ramesh Prabhakar L.T. Pagarani Ram Buxani Surender Kandhari Sohan Roy Shyam Bhatia