The event managing company that is stylized as dmg events (dmge) promoted three senior-level executives.
Effective Oct. 1, Geoff Dickinson will handle global dmge business as the CEO while serving on the company’s board of directors. Dickinson is currently president of dmge Middle East and Asia, the largest division within dmge and headquartered in Dubai.
“Under Geoff’s leadership, our Middle East and Asia division has experienced outstanding growth, expanding from eight events to 20, which now take place in seven countries. His division has delivered double-digit revenue and profit growth each of the last three years while growing his teams and dmge’s reputation in the region,” said Suresh Kavan, chairman, dmge.
An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Dickinson graduated in 1982 with Honors in law from Birmingham University in the UK. He began his professional career with emap in publishing before moving into exhibitions.
Dickinson became managing director of Focus Events in 1986 and held senior management positions with the Maxwell Group and Haymarket Publishing prior to moving to the Middle East in 1996 to launch operations for IIR as managing director for the region. He established his own exhibitions company Epoc International in 1998, which grew to 12 events before being sold to Messe Frankfurt in 2005. He also launched Mecom Forums in 2006, which sold to Clarion in 2009.
Replacing Dickinson as president is Simon Mellor, who is senior vice president for the Middle East and Asia until Oct. 1.
“Simon has a consistent and successful track record of launching, building and growing events – both large and small. He is also a strong leader, so this is a terrific move for both Simon and dmg events,” said Kavan. “As evidenced by this promotion, we are blessed with a strong roster of talent in the events business.”
Mellor joined dmge in 2001, and during the past 11 years, he has worked in several senior-level positions in seven industrial markets, across three office locations in Surrey, Calgary, Canada and Dubai in the UAE. At dmge, he did business in China, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
While working at dmge in Dubai, Mellor ran the construction portfolio of events, including developing the Big 5 exhibition into a 100,000-plus gross-square meter event. He also launched the geo-clone Big 5 Saudi Arabia, which will run for its fourth edition in March 2014.
In 2011, Mellor assumed responsibility for the energy portfolio in the Middle East delivering growth in ADIPEC, which is now established as the region’s oil and gas event and has gone from being biennial to annual during his tenure.
Also promoted was Galen Poss, who is currently chief operating officer of dmge. He will become vice chairman on Oct. 1.
