New COO for Koelnmesse

The Supervisory Board of Koelnmesse has appointed Katharina Hamma as new chief operating officer of Koelnmesse, the home of a wide range of trade shows, including ISM and Anuga.

Ms. Hamma, who was previously an authorised officer of the Messe München trade fair company, will occupy the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO) in the three-person top management team. Her first working day in Cologne will be 1 October 2011.

“We were fortunate to be able to hire Ms. Hamma, who has many years of experience in the trade fair business in Germany and at the international level. In our opinion, that was the main qualification for the job. She is the right person to keep the trade fairs that are so important for Cologne on course for growth,” says Cologne mayor Jürgen Roters.

Koelnmesse CEO Gerald Böse adds, “We have found a team player who has the sure instinct that is required by this complex business, in which a focus on customers and contact with people are still key factors.”

Hamma will complete the three-person leadership team of Koelnmesse, whose other members are CEO Gerald Böse, who is responsible for strategy, corporate development, and international business operations, and Herbert Marner (CFO), who is in charge of technical and financial affairs. The creation of the COO position consolidates the operational responsibility for all of the company’s trade fairs and puts it into the hands of a single individual.