In July 2011, Colm McLoughlin was named Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Duty Free and its subsidiary businesses.
Under McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free has grown dramatically over the past 33 years during which the business grew from US$20 million (1984) to US$1.85 billion in 2016.
During the course of his career in the duty free industry, McLoughlin himself has been honoured with several personal awards including the Frontier Lifetime Achievement Award and the Galway Millennium Man of the Year. In 2014, McLoughlin was presented with the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award in the Business and Education category.
A keen philanthropist, McLoughlin established the Dubai Duty Free Foundation in 2004.