About Us
The Australian Duty Free Association (ADFA) is a national association of the leading stores in Australian tourism retailing.
The ADFA is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1977 in recognition of the need for a single, unified voice for duty free shops (both on airport and off airport) operating in Australia.The duty free industry turns over in excess of $700 million per year and provides jobs and export opportunities to Australian manufacturers, particularly in fashion, arts and crafts.
The ADFA now represents the interests of all airport based duty free businesses in Australia and over 95% of the off-airport based duty free business in Australia. The board of the ADFA comprises representatives of all major Australian based duty free businesses and meets 4 times a year. The board of the ADFA recognizes the importance of addressing and overseeing industry based issues.
The ADFA members employ thousands of Australians directly in their businesses and indirectly provide employment for many more. Additionally, the ADFA airport duty free shops contribute a significant portion of the non-aeronautical revenue for airports around Australia.
Duty free shops operate in a very regulated environment within a strict licensing regime. The ADFA liaises with government and regulators to ensure that the operating restrictions which apply to duty free shops are maintained without impeding the functioning of the duty free businesses. The result of these processes is that international travellers continue to enjoy shopping in a competitive environment with a wide and unique range of items.
The ADFA is a member of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association which itself is linked in to the Duty Free World Council and European Travel Retail Confederation.
Management and Board
Chief Executive Officer – Steven Clarke
Steven Clarke has over 25 years business experience encompassing senior management, financial control, relationship banking, project finance and chartered accounting. In addition to many years experience in the duty free industry in Australia Steven has worked for organisations including Westpac, KPMG, ANZ and Citadel Mining Group (acquired by Equinox).
The board of directors is comprised of industry representatives and currently includes:
Stephen Timms – CEO of Lotte Duty Free Oceania
Stephen Timms is Chief Executive Officer of Lotte Duty Free Oceania which is part of the international Lotte Duty Free organisation. Stephen has had over 10 years experience in the duty free industry in Australia.
Michael Bell – DFS Australia
Michael Bell is Operations and Control manager for Oceania division of DFS Australia. DFS Australia is a global duty free business operating in 11 countries and across three continents.
George Tsoukalas – Managing Director of Heinemann Australia
George Tsoukalas is Managing Director of Heinemann Australia, a subsidiary of the family owned German Travel Retailer Gebr. Heinemann which is active on all continents. Follow this link for further details.