Colm McLoughlin was a member of the consultancy team from Aer Rianta, the Irish Airport Authority, which was contracted by the Dubai Government to launch the new  duty free operation in 1983. He remained in Dubai as General Manager of the new operation, later becoming Managing Director. In July 2011, Colm was named Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Duty Free and i ts subsidiary businesses, which include The Irish Village, both in Garhoud and Studio One Hotel, The Century Village, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and Jumeirah Creekside Hotel.

Under the Executive Vice Chairman & CEO’s leadership, Dubai Duty Free has grown dramatically over the past 37 years during which the business grew from US$20 million (1984) to US$2.029 billion in 2019.

Dubai Duty Free is widely regarded for having set the benchmark for the duty free industry in the region. Under Colm’s direction, Dubai Duty Free has received over 700 awards including the Frontier Award for Airport Retailer of the Year in Single Location, which was won by the operation for a remarkable ninth time.