Koelnmesse names Böse as CEO

Will begin his post April 1

-- Casual Living, 2/13/2008 6:58:00 AM

Gerald Böse, 46, was confirmed as CEO of the Koelnmesse executive board during a Feb. 7 meeting of the supervisory board and shareholders. Now executive director at Karlsruher Messe- and Kongress-GmbH, Böse will begin work in his new post in Cologne by April 1.
      
“Given the many different challenges that today’s global competition poses for Cologne as a trade fair location, we are delighted this decision will now be quickly implemented,” said Cologne Mayor Fritz Schramma, chairman of the committees.
      
Schramma thanked Herbert Marner, who has led the company since April 2007, his management colleagues and the entire Koelnmesse team, which sponsors the Spoga+Gafa tradeshow among others. “Thanks to all your efforts, Koelnmesse has not only remained on a steady course for success — you have also initiated the developments needed to ensure this trade fair company’s competitiveness over the long term,” Schramma said. 

As a member of the Koelnmesse GmbH executive board, Marner will once again concentrate on the company's finances.

After earning his business administration degree, Gerald Böse worked at Messe München for four years before moving to the IGEDO fashion fairs in Düsseldorf in 1992. As a managing director, he assumed responsibility for the company’s internationalization and sales activities as well as corporate planning in 1995. Beginning in 1999, he built up the New Media department at IGEDO, which opened new business areas for the company with the founding of the media trade fair OMD in 2000. In early 2006, he was named executive director of Karlsruher Messe, Kongress-GmbH and Neue Messe Karlsruhe.