Venue management giant ASM Global has appointed Hyve Group’s Julie Driscoll (pictured) as chief executive officer of Olympia London.
Olympia London’s managing director Nigel Nathan will remain in a consultancy role for three months, while Driscoll begins her new position on 5 December. The move will see her step down as chair of the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) in the UK.
Driscoll has 25 years of B2C and B2B experience where she has led multi-functional teams within Hyve, Ascential, Emap, WVIP and Highbury House Communications plc.
Currently the divisional managing director for retail, manufacturing and engineering at Hyve Group plc, AEO chair and board member of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), Driscoll has worked on brands such as Spring and Autumn Fair, Pure London, Breakbulk and Cwieme.
Driscoll said: “For 136 years Olympia London has been the home of inspirational events. In partnership with the venue’s owners, Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International, I very much look forward to working with the wonderful Olympia London team, to position the venue as a world class destination for the next 100 years.”
She added: “Being welcomed so warmly by the industry as the AEO’s second female chair was an absolute honour. I would like to thank Chris Skeith OBE, CEO of the AEO, the wider AEO team, the Exec and the board for their support and incredible hard work. The AEO is an important organisation supporting and nurturing the thriving exhibitions’ industry. It has been such a joy to be part of the AEO community and I look forward to seeing what I know will be their successful journey ahead.”
ASM Global Europe executive VP Chris Bray said: “Julie has an ambitious vision for Olympia London, an eye for operational excellence, and joins us with exceptional experience as a highly skilled entrepreneurial leader, working successfully with renowned brands and some of the UK’s biggest trade events. We are confident that Julie will bring enormous value, drive growth and lead Olympia London towards a tremendously exciting future.”
Nathan said, “I am so proud to have worked with such an amazing and passionate team at Olympia London for the last 23 years. We’ve achieved so much together. Finding the right person to lead our glorious venue into its exciting future was vital. Julie brings impressive experience from across the events industry, and a strong vision for how to build upon Olympia London’s heritage of hosting events that have helped drive the economy and delighted millions of visitors for the last 136 years.”