WH Smith has appointed Ziad El-Assad to the role of senior vice president of business development – USA.
El-Assad will lead WH Smith’s travel retail expansion within the United States, formulate brand partnerships and establish operating joint ventures. Prior to WH Smith, El-Assad served as vice president of business development for NewsLink Group.
“I am thrilled to join WH Smith and lead expansion efforts within the US. With all the recent consolidation in the travel retail industry, this is an opportune time for a world-class organization with a long and rich history in travel retail to enter the U.S. market, and offer both airports and passengers alike fresh and innovative travel convenience and retail concepts,” says El-Assad.
WH Smith acquired InMotion Entertainment in November 2018 and now plans to expand into the news and gift sector with its proprietary brand. “The appointment of Ziad is a crucial step towards our goal of establishing a meaningful presence for the WH Smith brand in the US,” says Phil McNally, President and CEO of WH Smith International.
WH Smith has more than 225 years of experience as a leading global retailer in news, books, gifts and convenience in travel and high street locations. With more than 1,400 stores in 32 countries, WH Smith caters to the world’s traveling customer with a wide range of market specific news, convenience, electronics, and specialty retail concepts.
