HONG KONG — Informa Markets has appointed Michael Duck to take on the newly created role of Executive Vice President — Commercial Development across the more than 30 international markets served by the global event organizer. Duck, who was profiled in Trade Show Executive’s August 2020 issue, has been serving as the global event organizer’s Executive Vice President Asia, including overseeing Sinoexpo and the Informa Markets Leather, Food, Building and Maritime products in Asia. He has worked in leadership positions since he joined Informa Markets in 1994, with a focus on growing the company’s business in the Asia region.
In his new position, Duck will be the main point of contact for building relationships and growing the company’s business in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond through mergers and acquisitions and internationalizing Informa Markets’ products and brands. He also will support activity by the company’s Pharma Intelligence and Academic Publishing divisions in Asia.
Related. Asia Pacific Trade Shows: From Boom to Bust (and Back?)
“Michael has been instrumental in building up the company’s presence across the globe and he holds important relationships with industry partners, government bodies and venue partners,” said Informa Markets CEO Charlie McCurdy. “I have every confidence that he is uniquely positioned to act as our global point of contact for commercial development.”
TSE recently caught up with Duck to find out more.
What does this newly created role entail?
Informa is a “digital business with physical assets,” and I will be working closely with both our Trade Show Informa Markets and the digital/publishing verticals that also make up the rest of the company. We have a very rich data businesses that we have been expanding — in particular, this last year due to COVID-19, though we started before — to “get closer” to our customers and have relevant content for our clients to access. This role is across all markets and geographies.
How do you plan to bring your past experience to bear on your new role?
Well, I have been developing trade fairs and running them on several continents and many countries over my 27 years in the trade fair/ B2B business, especially in Asia. Hopefully, I can bring a fresh perspective, along with my close relationships with a variety of industries and governmental bodies, which we can use to best bring the insight gained to fruition and turn them into profitable ventures!
Related. Informa Evolves Into a Multi-Platform Marketplace Creator
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
What gives me the greatest pleasure is successfully bringing customers together so they can see clearly that what has been developed is both profitable and successful — and working with our great Informa colleagues around the world. However, we all have a huge challenge to find the best ways to safely get out of this COVID-19 mess. That calls for patience, strength of mind/mental resilience and the human spirit that always wins in the end.
Reach Michael Duck at Michael.Duck@informa.com; Charlie McCurdy at +44 0 20 7017 5000 or Charlie.mccurdy@informa.com.
