At the beginning of the year, Oliver Frese, former member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Messe AG, will take over the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) as the new Managing Director.

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On 25 November 2019, the Supervisory Board of Messegesellschaft decided in favour of the 52-year-old, who was a member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Messe AG, Hanover, until the end of 2018. In future, Frese will take over operational responsibility for the development of Koelnmesse’s event portfolio as COO of the three-member Cologne management board. Frese will take up his new position on 01.01.2020. He succeeds Katharina Hamma, who left the company at the end of 2018.

Koelnmesse with new Managing Director

“With Oliver Frese, we have been able to gain an extremely experienced trade fair manager and an authentic leader who we trust will be able to integrate new events as well as further develop Cologne’s traditional trade fairs to meet the requirements of the modern trade fair business,” said the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Cologne’s Lord Mayor Henriette Reker, after the committee’s decision.

“Oliver Frese is a dynamic and recognised trade fair professional who has experienced all facets of the rapidly transforming trade fair industry in his successful career to date. I am looking forward to working together with him on the management board to continue our success story,” adds Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse:

Frese plans to expand Cologne as a hotspot

Most recently, Oliver Frese worked for Deutsche Messe AG for 14 years. Until 2013 he was responsible for the Hannover Messe, the world’s most important industrial trade fair. As a member of the Management Board, he was responsible for technology, gastronomy and services, as well as the ICT & Digital Business Events competence area and all public trade fairs in Hanover.

“I am looking forward to working with a highly professional and experienced team to further develop Koelnmesse’s strong position in the international trade fair market and to further expand Cologne as a hotspot for innovative trade fair and event concepts,” said Oliver Frese with a view to the new position.

As COO, Oliver Frese completes Koelnmesse’s management trio alongside Gerald Böse, who as CEO is responsible for corporate strategy, development and international business, and Herbert Marner (CFO), who is responsible for the technical and financial areas.

 

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Image: Koelnmesse

//JP