After almost 17 years as a President & CEO – and serving the company for about 34 years – Werner M Dornscheidt will now resign from his office on June 30, 2020. “Trade fairs are my life,” says the outgoing CEO. “What we have built up together with my team over all those years benefits the company today. While conditions are difficult at present, it is comforting to know that ‘my’ company is in good hands. The team is already busy working on a re-start and developing further digital add-ons so that Messe Düsseldorf will also remain the successful, reputable company in future that it is today. I have made my contribution.”

Profitable, subsidy-free management and financial stability are two trademarks of the Dornscheidt era. The Messe Düsseldorf Group closed the last full business year under his leadership with a sales increase of 28.7 per cent to EUR378.5 million (previous year: EUR294 million). Group earnings after tax more than doubled in 2019 at EUR56.6 million (previous year: EUR24.3 million). In 2004 Dornscheidt took over as CEO of the company when the Messe Düsseldorf Group posted an ROI of 6.4 per cent and a core capital ratio of 34.4 per cent. Its ROI recently rose to 14.8 per cent and its core equity ratio to 66 per cent.

All of these are the best prerequisites for buffering the effects of the Corona pandemic. Wolfram N. Diener has served Messe Düsseldorf as Managing Director Operative Business since 2018 and will take over as Chief Executive Officer from 1 July 2020.
In future, the fate of the company will fall into the hands of Wolfram N. Diener and his team. Erhard Wienkamp (Managing Director of Fair Management) and Bernhard J. Stempfle (Managing Director Finance & Technical Operations, Digital Strategy & Communication) will complete the Board of Managing Directors.

Photo credit: Messe Düsseldorf/Andreas Wiese