UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has named the winners of its 2022 UFI Next Generation Leadership Grant (NGL).
A jury of exhibitions industry leaders, chaired by UFI president Monica Lee-Müller evaluated entries submitted from all around the world, with the focus of the NGL project this year on developing a new talent narrative for the exhibition industry.
The six winners announced are:
▪ Monika Baro - project manager at VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. (Thailand)
▪ Daniella Galante - senior digital marketing executive at RX Africa (South Africa)
▪ Joseph (Joe) Kowalsky - show director at Emerald X LLC (USA)
▪ Justine Rabel - key account manager at Eventmaker (France)
▪ Maria Victoria Piñeres - operations manager at Costa Rica Convention Center / Grupo Heroica Volio & Trejos S.A (Costa Rica)
▪ Jon Yahirun - customer success manager at Clarion Events (USA).
Lee-Müller described this year’s grant programme – sponsored by Clarion, dmg events, Emerald, Informa Markets, RX and Tarsus – as a clear and positive news story in an otherwise complicated period for the exhibition industry.
“As the industry continues to face global challenges, developing a dynamic talent narrative for the exhibition industry is of critical importance for the future of the sector. Congratulations to the industry professionals who won this prestigious grant and will have the opportunity to participate in our talent accelerator programme. We look forward to their contributions,” she said.
Because of the record number of applications, UFI agreed to award a total of six grants this year.
The winning applications were “outstanding” the jury said, adding: “We were impressed to see so many motivated and talented applicants from different backgrounds and regions, willing to contribute to developing the talent narrative of our industry. It is a sign of their optimism, as well as our hope for the future of our industry. Thanks again to everyone who participated.”
Spread over a period of eight months, the programme enables the recipients to share their stories on the way in which their leadership, commitment and experience is helping them to achieve success, while fulfilling their daily work obligations.
To qualify, applicants must have a maximum of 10 years of work experience within the exhibition industry, and continue to be employed on a full-time basis within the industry.
To learn more about the programme, please click here to see EW's interview with Angela Herberholz, programme manager of talent development and committees at UFI, in our latest edition of the print magazine.
More information: www.ufi.org/ngl
Photo: Top, R-L: Monika Baro, Daniella Galante, Joseph Kowalsky. Bottom, R-L: Justine Rabel, Maria Victoria Pineres, Jon Yahirun.
