New COO will succeed Peter van der Veer

Utrecht, The Netherlands, 1 October 2021 – Heiko M. Stutzinger has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Member of the Executive Board of international venue and event organizer Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs|VNU Group, as of December 1, 2021.

Based in the Jaarbeurs head office in Utrecht, Mr. Stutzinger will contribute to the organization’s ambitious post-pandemic growth strategy, which underpins the company’s commitment to sustainability, digital and technological innovation, employee wellbeing and overall business growth.

As COO, Stutzinger will be responsible for the Jaarbeurs’ high-profile national shows portfolio, guest and partner events, venue management and strategic business development. He will retain his current position as member of the Board of Directors of VNU Asia Pacific, as well as lead the VIV worldwide Agribusiness event series, currently staged in eight countries around the world.

Albert Arp, CEO of the Jaarbeurs|VNU Group: “We are thrilled to welcome Heiko. He joins us at an exciting and crucial moment, as we accelerate the implementation of our business strategy in response to the upcoming rapidly changing market. Over the past 18 months, the event and hospitality industry has been challenged by the global pandemic. Now it is time to push our business forward in an innovative and sustainable way with a strong commitment to safety. Heiko’s extensive experience and outstanding capability in new business development and digital transformation is an invaluable contribution to that. In South East Asia, he has achieved great results over the past three years.”

Jaarbeurs|VNU Group COO, Heiko M. Stutzinger, added: “I’m delighted to join Jaarbeurs at this pivotal time in the business and work full-speed to deliver the visionary roadmap ahead, whilst evolving the company’s credentials as the leading sustainable venue and event operator in Europe.”

In his new role, Stutzinger will succeed Peter van der Veer, who joined the Group in 2019 for a period of two years. Mr. Van der Veer will hand over from his position in November.

Arp added: “We are very thankful to Peter, who has been a highly valued partner in the past two years. He brought a lot of creativity to our team and introduced us to new markets.”

To stay tuned for the latest news and developments, please follow the Royal Jaarbeurs, VNU Europe and VNU Asia Pacific on LinkedIn.

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For further information, or press enquiries, please contact:

The Netherlands:
Frank Tebbe
Frank.tebbe@jaarbeurs.nl
+31 6 5331 8525

Rest of the world:
Elena Geremia
elena@vnueurope.com
+39 339 655 6193

About Heiko M. Stutzinger

After working for over 20 years in senior management positions in the international event and trade fair industry as well as management consultancy, Heiko joined Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs|VNU Group in February 2019 as Managing Director for the South East Asia Region and additionally took leadership of the VIV worldwide event portfolio in April that year. Before joining Jaarbeurs|VNU Group, Heiko served as Deputy General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai as well as Deputy Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf China. Heiko holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from EBS University and is currently enrolled in the Leipzig Graduate School of Management’s PhD program.

About Royal Jaarbeurs

Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs, founded in 1916, is a leading exhibition and convention centre, located in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The venue welcomes over 2.3 million visitors every year. Royal Jaarbeurs also organises and facilitates award-winning live events and online functions, to create valuable experiences and connections. Jaarbeurs has the ambition to become the most sustainable venue in Europe by the end of the decade, with plans to start building a new venue in the next three years.

About VNU Group

VNU Group is a globally operating exhibition company with offices in Utrecht, Shanghai and Bangkok, and consolidates the international exhibition business of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs. The Group is divided into three separate and distinct companies – VNU Europe, VNU Asia and VNU Asia Pacific – which closely cooperate across borders. For its international exhibition and conference business, Jaarbeurs has formed strategic Joint Ventures with influential partners in China and South East Asia.