A week of changes at the top

The past week saw a slew of top appointments in the events industry.

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), which operates the largest exhibition venue in the Middle East, named a former Reed Exhibitions head as its new CEO.

Messe Berlin also appointed a new chief executive while UFI named a former sports broadcasting professional as its new content and communities manager.

Find this and more in your full Week in Events industry news roundup.

ADNEC Group appoints new CEO

UAE’s ADNEC Group has appointed a new CEO for its subsidiary, Capital Events.

Darren Johnson will spearhead the group’s efforts to boost its events portfolio in the region and develop the company as an international organiser platform.

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, group CEO of ADNEC Group, said: “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Darren and wish him great success in his new role. With his wealth of experience and unique skills, I am confident that Darren will make a valuable contribution to the success to Capital Events.”

Darren added: “I am thrilled to take on this new challenge to drive the Capital Events to new realms of excellence and success. Capital Events has cemented its position as one of the leading events companies in the region.

“I look forward to developing the company’s portfolio of high-profile events and exhibitions, while providing our exhibitors and stakeholders with best in class events capabilities.”

He was earlier CEO and divisional managing director at Reed Exhibitions, and has served on the board of major companies and industry forums.

Some key show organised by Capital Events include the International Defence Exhibition & Conference, the Naval Defence & Maritime Security Exhibition, the Unmanned Systems Exhibition & Conference and the Global Media Congress.

Mario Tobias joins Messe Berlin as new chief exec

Messe Berlin has named Mario Tobias as new chief executive of its group of companies.

The announcement was made at the exhibition firm’s recent supervisory board meeting.

Mario will work along with managing director Dirk Hoffman to drive leadership for the Messe Berlin group of companies with its eight subsidiaries and nine international holdings.

Der Aufsichtsrat der #MesseBerlin hat Dr. Mario Tobias zum neuen Vorsitzenden der Geschäftsführung der Unternehmensgruppe bestellt.
ℹ️ Mehr Infos in unserer Pressemitteilung: https://t.co/62aYdyQjwV pic.twitter.com/A1WEEWq7BK

— Messe Berlin (@MesseBerlin) May 10, 2023

Eric Schweitzer, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin, said: “With Dr. Mario Tobias we are gaining an outstanding personality with more than 20 years of experience in corporate leadership, economic policy and management.

“With his strategic skills and excellent competence in organisational development, customer and service orientation, coupled with his leadership and transformation experience as well as his network in important future fields such as digitalisation and sustainability management, he is the ideal appointment.”

Mario had previously been CEO of the Potsdam Chamber of Industry and Commerce since 2014.

He was instrumental in transforming IHK Potsdam and in growing the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies as its secretary general.

UFI appoints new programme manager for content and communities

UFI has bolstered its content and community initiatives with a new hiring.

Nidhi Grelaud joins the group’s Paris headquarters as programme manager for content and communities.

The position will see her working with UFI’s marketing and communications team to drive industry-relevant content.

She will also work on the group’s outreach programmes as well as lead the Next Generation Leadership Grant project and the Marketing Work Group.

Join us in welcoming Nidhi Grelaud to the UFI team! ?

Nidhi joins as Programme Manager for Content and Communities. Her role will be to enhance UFI’s reach in building communities while also increasing and sustaining the members, sponsors and wider industry.#ufinews #ufi pic.twitter.com/IAdxraz1Fl

— UFI (@UFILive) May 12, 2023

Adeline Vancauwelaert, UFI COO, said: “We are excited to welcome Nidhi Grelaud as our Programme Manager for Content and Communities. This newly created role at UFI signifies the importance we place on fostering connections and building communities within the global exhibition industry.

“Nidhi’s expertise and leadership will be instrumental in our mission to both strengthen and also drive our industry forward.”

Nidhi added: “I am thrilled to begin this journey and eager to work with the UFI team to develop the objectives of my newly created role. My primary focus will lie on crafting compelling and relevant narratives that meets the needs of our members and wider industry community.”

She has previously worked in the sports broadcasting industry and driven CSR initiatives for international sporting events.

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