World Retail Congress chairman Ian Mcgarrigle has appointed Philippine Retailers Association vice chairman Lorenzo Formoso as WRC ambassador for Asia Pacific.
Formoso is the past chairman and now vice chairman of the Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers.
With 32 years of experience in travel retail, Formoso spearheaded the PRA in its major programs especially the staging and hosting of the 17th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition in Manila in October 2015.
The APRCE, held biennially by the FAPRA is considered as the biggest and longest running retail convention and exhibition in the Asia Pacific region. It consists of the recognized national retail trade organizations in 18 member-economies—Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Formoso chaired FAPRA from 2015 to 2017. He presided over the federation’s policies and programs aimed at helping promote the growth and development of retailing in the region. He also attended the 18th APRCE in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as FAPRA chairman in October 2017.
Formoso also represents the FAPRA and the PRA at the Forum for International Retail Associations and Executives, a group of associations based in New York that tackles issues concerning retail in their respective regions. FIRAE is composed mostly of US and European retail aggrupation.
He has also been invited as speaker and resource person in numerous international retail conferences such as the Tax-Free Asia Pacific in Singapore, Trinity Forum in Seoul and Taipei, MAPIC in Cannes and Milan, the WRC in Paris and recently in WRC Madrid in May.
As WRC Ambassador, Formoso is tasked to promote the WRC in Asia Pacific and attract more participation from Asian retailers in WRC’s international retail network.
“I hope to be able to contribute to the objectives of the WRC as the Asia Pacific becomes an active contributor in its conferences, this with the end in view of addressing the dynamic changes in the retail landscape worldwide.” Formoso said.
Formoso will be one of the speakers and will judge one of the major awards in the coming 2019 WRC in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The World Retail Congress is a retail conference organization based in London that brings together the leaders of today’s global retail industry.
