The UFI Board of Directors has elected Monica Lee-Müller as president of UFI for 2021-22. The UFI Presidential Trio for the 2020-21 term will therefore comprise of (pictured L-R):
• Anbu Varathan (Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association – IMTMA, India), president 2020-21
• Mary Larkin (Diversified Communications, Portland, Oregon, U.S.), outgoing president
• Monica Lee-Müller (managing director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), Hong Kong), incoming president
This decision becomes effective at the conclusion of the 87th UFI Global Congress, which runs from Nov. 15-20.
Lee-Müller, the managing director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) since July 2012, has been active in UFI for many years, supporting the association’s mission and driving developments, especially on diversity and sustainability projects. She has served as a board member of UFI for the past 12 years. HML is the professional private company responsible for the management and operation of the 306,000 sq.m. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. About 1,000 events are held at the HKCEC every year.
Larkin, UFI’s current president, welcomed the election of Lee-Müller, saying, “I am thrilled to welcome Monica to the UFI leadership alongside Anbu Varathan. Monica has been a very active member in our industry and has spearheaded many initiatives on diversity and sustainability. She has also been very involved with UFI as a board member and I look forward to working with her as she takes on the role of incoming president. Having worked with Monica, I know she will be a wonderful leader for all aspects of our industry.”
Lee-Müller says, “I am privileged to have served the UFI Board for the past 12 years, during which time I learned and contributed along with so many of the outstanding leaders in the exhibition industry. Currently, as we experience the world’s economy being seriously impacted by COVID-19, I am more confident than ever about the significant role of UFI and importance of the exhibitions it supports. It will be an extraordinary honor to join with the UFI leadership in the coming years in moving this remarkable industry forward into a new era. I accept the challenge ahead for it is our global network of industry professionals working together that can meet that challenge. I am particularly fortunate to be part of UFI’s Presidential Trio that will inspire diverse perspectives and innovative solutions through the unique efforts of different genders, cultures, professional backgrounds and experiences that UFI represents. I am grateful for the support that I know I will have and I am committed to the responsibility with which I am being entrusted.”
Lee-Müller will work closely with the incumbent president and outgoing president to make up the Presidential Trio, managing UFI at the highest level, and helping UFI continue on its global mission to connect, support and promote the exhibition industry around the world.
UFI was founded in 1925 as a non-profit, non-partisan international association, and today is the global association for the exhibitions industry, directly representing more than 50,000 exhibition industry professionals in almost 90 countries around the world. UFI operates four regional offices in addition to the headquarters in Paris.
UFI’s recent presidents were from South Africa (Craig Newman 2018-19), Italy (Corrado Peraboni 2017-18), Germany (Andreas Gruchow 2016-17), Russia (Sergey Alexeev 2015-16), Colombia (Andrés López-Valderrama 2014-15), and France (Renaud Hamaide, 2013-14).
UFI is the global trade association of the world’s tradeshow organizers and exhibition center operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations and selected partners of the exhibition industry. UFI’s main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. UFI directly represents more than 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally, and also works closely with its 60 national and regional association members. More than 800 member organizations in 88 countries around the world are presently signed up as members. Around 1,000 international trade fairs proudly bear the UFI-approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike. UFI members continue to provide the international business community with a unique marketing media aimed at developing outstanding face-to-face business opportunities. For more info, visit www.ufi.org or email media@ufi.org or call +33 (0)1 46 39 75 00.
