LONDON — Clarion Eventsone of the UK’s oldest independent event organisers with 50 offices worldwide, has chosen Lisa Hannant as its next CEO. Hannant will take up the role on 1 October. She will succeed Russell Wilcox, who will become executive chairman.
“He‘“It is a tremendous privilege to lead the company as it enters the next stage of its growth and evolution,” said Hannant.We‘“We have spent the last two years focusing on creating a customer-centric way of working across the organisation. This work continues and is a key part of what I hope Clarion will represent in the future.”
Hannant has enjoyed tremendous success since joining Clarion in 2008. She became Group Managing Director in 2013, overseeing the organization’s international expansion. Under her leadership, Clarion has experienced significant growth in key markets in the US, Europe and Asia. In addition to the UK, the company currently has over 1,600 employees worldwide in Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and South Africa.
Hannant and Wilcox will continue to collaborate once she takes the helm.
“Lisa and I have worked closely together over the past decade and I‘I look forward to supporting her and the rest of the team in this next phase. Clarion has enormous opportunities: building on the strength of our products and our people, and our commitment to our customers.‘ growth and success. Exciting times await us under Lisa’s leadership‘“The leadership of the company,” Wilcox said.
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Wilcox’s support for Hannant to take on the leadership role reflects an ethos of inclusion that permeates the organization. Clarion has a reputation not only for supporting workplace equity, but also for being accountable. For the past two years, the company has measured its progress in closing the gender pay gap through an annual report Report on the gender pay gap. Last year, when Hannant spoke at a session on female leadership in the exhibition industry hosted by Women in exhibitionsClarion on demand video of the event on the company website and encouraged all employees to view it.
Looking ahead, Hannant is confident that Clarion is headed in the right direction. When announcing her appointment as CEO, she said: “The return to live events over the past year has gone well, with many of our events returning to 2019 levels.‘We are seeing significant growth from digital and organic launches across the company, not to mention some significant acquisitions that are contributing significantly.
“We‘“We have spent the last two years focused on creating a customer-centric way of working across the organisation. This work continues and is a critical part of what I hope Clarion will represent in the future. If we can create the highest levels of customer value and satisfaction, then we will have an incredibly strong and resilient business.”
Contact Lisa Hannant at lisa.hannant@clarionevents.com or 020 7618 9162; Russell Wilcox on 020 7618 9162