Paul Topping, formally on the board of Odel and now on the main board of Flemingo, has won the life time achievement award in Cannes at the recently concluded Frontier Awards 2015. This award is the ultimate individual award in the global Travel Retail/Duty Free industry.

Topping has been in the travel retail/duty free business for thirty years and has worked in over fifteen countries and with numerous brands and formats. He is considered as a spokesperson for the industry, travels extensively and has much experience in this region.

Paul Topping started his retail experience selling mangoes outside his minister father’s Presbyterian church in Livingstone Zambia at the age of five. Many years later he joined the retail chain British Home Stores in the UK and moved around to ten different locations in ten years undertaking various responsibilities including managing stores, shop development / planning, catering and shop opening.  At the age of 28, he joined Hornes Menswear, a premium UK brand and played a key role in repositioning the company, expanding locations, implementing the new look ‘HORNES’ and launching a menswear chain focussed at younger shoppers.

Paul joined ‘Trust House Forte’ as the operations director of their travel retail division and went on to become the managing director three years later. Paul played a key role in the listing of the company in the UK stock market as Alpha Airports Group. Alpha was the first international travel retailer to win  and operate a retail contract in India by way of a unique three way arrangement [ airport, travel retailer and active local partner ] in Cochin airport. Further expansion under Paul’s supervision included Sanford Airport with an exclusive twenty year contract soon followed by duty free in Sri Lanka with an exclusive ten year contract which was extended a further five years. This was followed by the opening of Delhi Duty Free, Maldives, Nepal, Labels (domestic distribution business) and ‘In… On The Green’ (Sri Lanka’s first English pub).

Post his stint with Alpha, which was later acquired by ‘Aldeasa’, he joined the Heinemann group for a one year assignment as Director – Asia in order to help establish the retailer in the region. In 2012 Paul joined Flemingo International as a mainboard director to assist in repositioning the brand and expanding into many new emerging markets.

Paul known as ‘the wine man of Sri Lanka’ has spent over 18 years expanding wine sales in the region and now is a partner in Bangalore Soma Winery, a vineyard/winery/tourist business in India. He has taken the Island of Sri Lanka as his home country and has been involved in a number of projects supporting tourism and local initiatives. He writes under the name of ‘the whinging pome’ and has many published articles covering his local and international travel experiences.

Known for his leadership in the inspirational ‘Travel Retail Tsunami village project’, Paul has also been high profile with the Flemingo Foundation. Flemingo operates a number of programs but their ‘Educate to Protect’ initiative to reduce child abuse in Sri Lanka is their key activity. To date, over 35000 children/adults have been reached through the awareness /support sessions.

Photo caption: Paul Topping receiving the life time achievement award at the 2015 Frontiers Awards in Cannes, France