Sarah Purkis

Global HR Director
World Duty Free Group

Sarah was promoted in 2011 to HR & Organisation Director in a global role for the World Duty Free Group. She is a statutory director of 2 businesses and until recently was a pensions trustee.

WDFG has 565 stores, across 138 airports and cultural locations, in 21 countries with 9,000 employees. The company recently demerged from Autogrill and is now listed on the Borsa Italiana.

Sarah's role is about creating a single Duty Free Retail Group and ensuring the business has all of the world class people practices in place for a dynamic, fast growing business. Up until the sale of the Alpha Flight business in December 2010, Sarah was Group HR Director for the businesses owned by Autogrill (Alpha Flight, Alpha Food & Beverage, WDF Retail, Alpha Retail and the Group Executive).

Previously, Sarah has been an HR Director since 2001 in various diverse organisations from not for profit, FMCG, food services and retail. Most recently at the not for profit / members organisation, the Performing Rights Society, as Executive Director – HR and, prior to that, she has held two other HR Director positions at Virgin and Britvic.

Prior to her Director level roles, Sarah worked in HR for over 20 years in companies such as Music Video Club (part of the Kingfisher Group), Sears Womenswear and Marks & Spencer.

Sarah spends her time riding her horse Touchdown Prince, playing tennis, attending pilates classes and going to the gym.