Informa Markets has announced the appointment of Margaret Ma Connolly as President – Asia, Informa Markets, effective 1 January 2020. She succeeds Jimé Essink, who retired at the end of 2019.
The Informa Markets business in Asia delivers over 300 exhibitions across China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and South East Asia, which include FURNITURE CHINA, COSMOPROF ASIA and CPhI CHINA.
Ma Connolly (pictured) joined UBM in 2008, which combined with Informa in 2018, and helped grow the business in China through strategic joint-venture partnerships and organic development. She was appointed CEO of Asia in July 2018.
Prior to joining UBM, Ma Connolly held senior management positions at TNT and Global Sources.
Informa Markets CEO, Charlie McCurdy, said: “Margaret has been instrumental in the growth of our business across Asia and I’m confident that she will continue to strengthen our presence in a region that is very important to our global business. This concludes the previously announced 12-month transition period between Margaret and Jimé, who successfully served as the long-term head of this business.”
Ma Connolly added: “The Informa Markets business in Asia has grown significantly over recent years to become the largest exhibitions company both in the region – and worldwide. I’m proud that we have a young and dynamic team that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity across Asia, allowing us to continue delivering a local service to our customers, while leveraging our global scale. A key focus for me in my role as President for the region is to nurture our talent and invest in developing new skills, particularly in the areas of digital and data, so that we can continue to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers.”
