Paul Kennedy to step down

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) today announced that Paul Kennedy MBE, Group Exhibition Director with responsibility for its hugely successful Meetings and Incentive portfolio of events, has decided to

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) today announced that Paul Kennedy MBE, Group Exhibition Director with responsibility for its hugely successful Meetings and Incentive portfolio of events, has decided to leave the business in mid August 2009.

Paul Kennedy says, โ€œSince joining Reed in November 2004, I have had an exciting, truly dynamic and challenging role in building a top class team that has created the market leading portfolio of pan global events for the meetings industry. This started with the re-engineering of EIBTM following its relocation to Barcelona, the launch of GIBTM in Abu Dhabi, the restructuring and re-launch of CIBTM in Beijing, the continuing development of AIME in Melbourne, the ICCA Congress Exhibition and creating the foundation for a successful launch of AIBTM.

โ€œI have decided its now time for a break from the amazingly fast paced environment involving almost constant overseas travel. Frankly I want to take some time out, re-energise and decide what I want to do next.โ€

At the same time, Richard Mortimore, Managing Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions has announced that Vanessa Cotton has been appointed as a Non Exec Chair to the meetings and events portfolio providing support, counsel, and advice to the meetings portfolio team and to assist with the process of finding a successor to Paul.

Commenting on her appointment, Vanessa says “This is a fantastic opportunity to become involved with Reed Exhibitions and I look forward to working with the team to ensure that their meetingsโ€™ industry events worldwide continue to lead the field.”

โ€œVanessa will help provide a smooth transition, as well as an ongoing strategic role for the portfolio and allow us the time to consider Paulโ€™s replacement. Her experience and stature within the meetings industry worldwide will help to maintain our global connections and assist with our review and next steps,โ€ said Richard Mortimore.

โ€œI am very sad to see Paul leave us but after five years in this demanding job he has decided to spend the next stage of his career
in part developing other business interests. Paul has done an outstanding job for us by building a dynamic international team of some 30+ professionals that has created a global portfolio of leading events in the meetings industry. Paul has considerably strengthened the relationships with industry leading association such as MPI, SITE, AIPC and ICCA and established a position of close engagement with industry stakeholders which will continue.โ€

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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