Margaret Ma Connolly appointed as president –…

Informa Markets has today announced the appointment of Margaret Ma Connolly as President – Asia, Informa Markets, effective 1 January 2020.

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 joined UBM in 2008, which combined with Informa
in 2018, and successfully grew the business in China through strategic
joint-venture partnerships and organic development.

She was appointed CEO of Asia in July 2018, and has since
grown the business, strengthened the partnerships, invested in training and
development and brought to market additional services such as content
programmes, digital, roadshows and research reports that connect communities in
specialist markets all year round.

Prior to joining UBM, Ma Connolly held senior management
positions at TNT and Global Sources.

Ma Connolly succeeded Jimé Essink, who retired from the role
at the end of 2019.

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 commented: “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.”