The Finance and HR Committee of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, chaired by its Chairman, Lord Mayor Thomas Geisel, appointed Petra Cullmann and Bernd Jablonowski as heads of the operative business division at its meeting on May 29. Both will take up their new duties on July 1. Petra Cullmann is the first woman to be promoted to the trade fair company’s Board of Managing
“We are delighted that the Supervisory Board followed our recommendation to appoint Petra Cullmann and Bernd Jablonowski as heads of the operative business division,” says Werner M. Dornscheidt, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “Their many years of trade fair expertise in Germany and abroad, their outstanding knowledge of the industry in Messe Düsseldorf’s portfolios and their leadership experience make them ideal candidates to position our company for the future.” Together with Michael Degen, head of division and power of attorney domestic trade fairs, Clemens Hauser, head of division and power of attorney technology, and Dr. Christian Plenge, head of division and power of attorney digital strategies and communication, Petra Cullmann and Bernd Jablonowski will join the Messe Düsseldorf Board of Managing Directors as heads of division and power of attorney. Geisel adds: “With Petra Cullmann and Bernd Jablonowski, Messe Düsseldorf trade has an internationally experienced operational team for the upcoming challenges in the trade fair business.”
Cullmann has been with Messe Düsseldorf for almost 30 years. She started her career as a trainee in January 1991. After working in the Protocol Department for four years she joined Messe Düsseldorf Asia in Singapore as corporate PR and protocol manager/foreign representation in 1996. From 1999 to 2000 she was responsible as the head of the sports marketing department in cooperation with Deutsche Sport Marketing for the organization of the “Deutsches Haus” at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney/Australia. In 2001 she returned to Düsseldorf where she built up the partner and guest events division, which she managed for 16 years. In 2007 she also took over the management of the K trade fair as a director before assuming responsibility for the Global Portfolio Plastics & Rubber as the global portfolio director in 2015. In her new position Petra Cullmann will report to Erhard Wienkamp, managing director operative trade fair business.
Jablonowski started as a sales manager at Nowea International in 1995 and is celebrating his 25th year with Messe Düsseldorf. From 1999-2004 he was in Russia: first as a head of the Moscow subsidiary, Nowea International, and then of Messe Düsseldorf starting in 2002. At the same time, he also served as the first managing director of Messe Düsseldorf Moscow from 2002-04. In 2004 he returned to Düsseldorf. Until 2008 he worked as a project director and then as the director of interpack until 2015. Since 2015 he has been responsible for the Global Portfolio Packaging & Processing as the global portfolio director. In his new position he will report to the President & CEO Wolfram N. Diener.
With revenue of EUR 378.5 million in 2019, the Messe Düsseldorf Group has maintained its position as one of Germany’s most successful trade fair companies. 29,222 exhibitors presented their products to 1.4 million trade visitors at events in Düsseldorf in 2019. Compared with previous events, this was an increase in the numbers of both exhibitors and visitors. The Düsseldorf exhibition center hosts around 50 trade fairs in five sectors of expertise: machinery, plants and equipment; the retail sector, trades and services; medicine and healthcare; lifestyle and beauty, and leisure. The trade fairs include 22 of their own No. 1 events as well as, currently, 15 partner and guest events. Also, its subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress held more than 1,000 conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings in 2019, attracting around 374,000 delegates. In addition, the Messe Düsseldorf Group organizes 75 of its own events, joint events and contracted events in other countries and is one of the leading export platforms in the world. Their own events in Düsseldorf attracted approximately 73 percent international exhibitors and 37 percent international visitors in 2019. The group has a global network of 77 foreign representatives for 141 countries, including seven international subsidiaries. For more info, Visit www.mdna.com or contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at (312) 781-5180 or info@mdna.com; http://twitter.com/mdnachicago.
