Michael Duck to Lead UFI as President in 2022-23

UFI’s Board of Directors has today elected Michael Duck as future President of UFI for the 2022-23 period.

The UFI Presidential Trio (photo below) for the 2021-22 term will, therefore, be:

• Michael Duck (EVP – Commercial Development, Informa Markets, and EVP – Commercial Development, Group at Informa Group), Incoming President 2022-23;
• Monica Lee-Müller (Managing Director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), Hong Kong), President 2021-22;
• Anbu Varathan (Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association – IMTMA, India), Outgoing President 2020-21.

This decision will become effective at the conclusion of the 88th UFI Global Congress, which runs from 3-6 November 2021, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Michael Duck is currently EVP Commercial Development for both Informa Markets and Informa Group. Informa Markets is the world’s largest exhibition organiser, and Michael Duck has been active in UFI for 25 years, serving in various functions within the association. More than 20 years ago, he was the founding Chairperson of UFI’s Asia-Pacific Chapter, and, following that, was the founding Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee. He has also spent many years as the association’s Treasurer, a mandate he will now pass on.

Anbu Varathan, UFI’s current President, says: “I am pleased to welcome Michael to the UFI leadership team, alongside Monica Lee-Müller. Michael has supported the association’s mission for many years, driving developments especially in the Asia-Pacific region. I look forward to working with him, as he takes on the role of Incoming President. I wish him every success in performing all the important duties that are required of this position. I know he will be a wonderful leader for all aspects of our industry.”

Michael Duck says: “I am delighted and honoured to have been chosen by the UFI Board of Directors as Incoming President for 2022-23. There hasn’t been a more challenging time for our industry, as we work together to revitalise and restart post-COVID-19. UFI has worked tirelessly to support the trade fair industry across the globe, and to support our members – both large and small. Informa Markets has given me their full support to take on this important role.”

As UFI’s Incoming President, Michael Duck will work closely with the President and Outgoing President as part of the Presidential Trio, managing UFI at the highest level, and helping UFI to continue its global mission to connect, support and promote the exhibition industry around the world.

UFI was founded in 1925 as a non-profit, non-partisan, international association, and today is the global association for the exhibition industry, directly representing more than 50,000 exhibition industry professionals, in almost 90 countries around the world. UFI operates from four regional offices, in addition to its headquarters in Paris.

UFI’s recent presidents have been from the USA (Mary Larkin 2019-20), South Africa (Craig Newman 2018-19), Italy (Corrado Peraboni 2017-18), Germany (Andreas Gruchow 2016-17), Russia (Sergey Alexeev 2015-16), Colombia (Andrés López-Valderrama 2014-15) and France (Renaud Hamaide, 2013-14).