Distinguished alumni
Sarah Branquinho
BA French, German and Economics 1978
Corporate Communications and External Affairs Director, World Duty Free
Sarah was awarded with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015 for her outstanding career and services to travel retail.
Sarah is an active advocate for the US $63 billion duty free and travel retail industry and the key role it plays in enhancing transport infrastructure and the passenger experience. She is President of the European Travel Retail Confederation, the representative organisation for the duty free and travel retail industry in Europe, Chair of the UK Travel Retail Forum, and a member of the Board of the Duty Free World Council.
With 30 years' experience in the duty free industry, first at Tax Free World Association, now the industry’s largest trade body for conferences, exhibitions and research, then managing the consumer mobilisation programme and the ambitious research projects which underpinned the lobby to save intra-EU duty free, Sarah joined BAA and its retail company World Duty Free (WDF) where her remit for business relations, external affairs and corporate communications grew with the company. Recently acquired, today WDF is part of the Dufry Group of Companies, accounting for one in four duty free and travel retail sales worldwide.
Sarah is a founder member and Chair of Women in Travel Retail which offers networking opportunities to women in the travel retail industry, and Chair of Lotus Flower Trust, a charity which builds schools and homes for disadvantaged children in remote villages in India.
She is the recipient of the duty free and travel retail industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award and of the Airport Council Europe's Award for outstanding contribution to the aviation industry.
Married with two children, her son also studied at Loughborough, living in the same hall – Cayley – and even the same block! She counts friends made at ‘Lufbra’ amongst her best friends and still has fond memories of the Purple Onion, Junction 23 radio, and the ‘in’ nightlife spot at the time – Adam & Eve…those were the days!