WALL OF FAME

D2 - Heghine Hakobyan, Sales Associate, Armenia

Only a Dufry Armenia member since November 2018, Heghine has rapidly taken over the position as best Armenian tourism ambassador! She is fond of presenting Armenian goods to customers (wines, souvenirs, chocolate) while educating them about Armenian culture and history – an additional value our customers happily take with them after visiting our store! Since she joined the team, she has proven to be an active and committed team member and to have a special skill for handling conflict situations easily and positively.

Though Heghine is an economist by education, she has a wide range of interests, which makes her very interesting and gives her a charismatic personality. She likes walking and fitness. Her favorite hobby is sewing. She designs and sews clothes for herself and her family members. She has a little dog, which she has trained to do different tricks.  

D1 - Salpie Dekermendjian, Sales Advisor, Arlanda Airport, Sweden

With a great commitment, a smile on her face and a positive attitude, she spreads joy at the entire Arlanda Pier B, both among customers and colleagues! A superstar on RED by Dufry who delivers world-class service every day, that's our Salpie. Many thanks for your effort. You inspire us all!

D2 - Thorn Sopheara, Dalmore Promoter, Phnom Penh Int. Airport, Cambodia

Thorn joined Dufry Cambodia over two years ago as a sales associate and recently got promoted to Dalmore promoter due to his great sales skills. He puts a lot of passion into his work and brings a deep knowledge of whiskies, which suits him perfectly in this new position. He received the award of Employee of the Month due to his outstanding performance by not only meeting and exceeding expectations when it comes to his behavioral competencies, but also delivering his personal budget on a monthly basis. He loves playing soccer during his time off and learning new languages (he already speaks English, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Mandarin and native Khmer!).

D1 - Shanti Pulkkinen, Store Supervisor, Helsinki Airport, Finland

Most of us here have at least heard what opening a store means. It is a great relief when you see the first customer crossing the threshold and starting to browse. That makes you forget the big effort that many people have put behind that moment. This moment, however, is sweeter thanks to people like Shanti, who made the opening of the MaxMara store in Helsinki her priority, showing an admirable ability to work under pressure and motivating all the teams with a never-fading smile on her face. Thanks, Shanti, for showing that great attitude when it was needed most!

D1 - Dimitris Boskidis, Sales Assistant, Thessaloniki, Greece

Dimitris joined Hellenic Duty Free in 2011 as a sales assistant. And ever since he has sought to be trained not only within the company, but also on his own and then shares it with us.

He loves reading and writing. He had been an employee for just a couple of years when he decided to collect information about all liquors and many kinds of tobacco products in order to help his colleagues better understand our products. He did that by presenting a small book for each category.

Besides that, he is an awarded writer and poet. His poems received many awards during the last years. In 2000, he was awarded third prize by the Greek Literature Union. In 2005, he received an honorable distinction from the Publisher’s Union of North Greece. In 2008, one of his poems won first prize in a national contest and this year, he was included in the Literature and Art Encyclopedia of Greek Amfictyonia .

Furthermore, he started classes at Greece’s Open University for math and physics, until this year when he decided to take the examinations in order to enter university and study economics at the age of 43.

D2 - Gorica Kerleta, Senior Sales Assistant, Belgrade ,Serbia

Gorica is the best example of what a perfect employee needs to be: professional, a provider of great service to customers, a dedicated colleague and a seller with fantastic results and clear leadership skills. Most importantly, Gorica has maintained this great performance during her ten years with Dufry Belgrade. A professional model of performance. Well done!

D4 – José Carlos Selayarán, Shift Supervisor and Store leader, Carrasco Airport, Uruguay

When José Carlos started at Carrasco Airport 25 years ago, he knew that was going to be his place. He started as a cashier, but he was made to communicate and engage with customers. He recognizes that the continuous contact with people is adrenaline for him and he loves going to work because no two days are the same. Over these 25 years, José Carlos has shown an incredible ability to quickly assimilate and adapt to the different organizational changes, with his attitude of adaptation to changes, collaboration and support for the continuous growth of the operation and his collaborators distinguishing him. He is an example at a professional and personal level for his values, engagement with the company and passion he puts into the job. Another example to follow!

Lucy Belinda Martínez, Junior Counter Manager, Mexico DF Airport

We strive every day to make our customers´ experience in our shops an extraordinary one. The art of selling is not just about getting customers to fill their baskets, but rather about listening, really understanding their needs and expertly advising them on what products to consider and how best to complement their purchase. This skill is one that Lucy Belinda seems to have mastered! At least according to feedback submitted by an executive of a large multinational… to our CEO in Basel!

This delighted customer wanted to express gratitude for the service delivered, which he said was the highest standard he had ever received. He especially thanked Lucy for her positive, respectful attitude and willingness to understand what he might want to buy in the store, honoring the saying "I don't want you to sell something to me - I want you to help me find what I want to buy". The experience finished with him taking a selfie shot on his phone, which he then sent to Julian Díaz with his letter of praise and the promise to visit Lucy again on his next visit to Mexico DF. Thanks Lucy for your dedication and congratulations!