The UFI Board of Directors elected, during its meeting this week in Istanbul, Turkey, Andreas Gruchow of Deutsche Messe AG, as the President of UFI for 2017. Hence, the next UFI Presidential Trio will comprise:
Sergey Alexeev (ExpoForum-International Ltd., Russian Federation), President 2015-2016; Andreas Gruchow, (Deutsche Messe AG), Incoming President; Andrés Lopez-Valderrama (Corferias, Colombia), Outgoing President.
This decision becomes effective at the conclusion of the 82nd UFI Annual Congress to be held in Milan from 4 – 7 November 2015 for the 2015/2016 term of office. Andreas Gruchow, a member of the UFI Executive Committee since 2011, has proved to be a major force within this committee, and has been very much involved in helping to drive the overall strategy of the association.
As UFI Incoming President, Andreas Gruchow will work closely with the UFI President and Outgoing President as part of the Presidential Trio, managing the association at the highest level and making important decisions for the benefit of all the members of UFI.
Andrés Lopez-Valderrama, current UFI President, welcomed the election of Gruchow, saying “Andreas represents one of the world’s leading trade fair organisations and has played a very full and energetic role in his position as a member of UFI’s Executive Committee. We are all convinced that he will carry over this enthusiasm into his future Presidency of UFI in 2017 and, in the meantime, will provide great support to Sergey Alexeev during his Presidency next year. I look forward to working with both of them”
Andreas Gruchow acknowledged the importance of this new role, adding, “I am delighted to have been elected as the 2017 UFI President. The UFI Board of Directors and all the members of UFI can rely on me to do my utmost to take UFI even further than where we are today. I am 100% dedicated to our global network of UFI and invested in UFI, and in our industry. UFI has a unique global position in the industry and is well-positioned to address the key issues affecting our members all over the world.”
For more information about UFI:
Angela Herberholz, UFI Marketing and Communications Manager
Email: angela@ufi.org, www.ufi.org
