Hannover, Germany. Annika Klar (42) will become Senior Vice President of the freshly established "New & Global Business Development" division at Deutsche Messe on 1 April 2024. Ms. Klar has been with Deutsche Messe since 2013, for the past three years as Managing Director of Hannover Fairs Turkey Fuarcılık A.Ş., a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Messe in Istanbul. Annika Klar will continue to manage Hannover Fairs Turkey Fuarcılık A.Ş. until further notice in addition to her role as Senior Vice President at Deutsche Messe.

Annika Klar was behind the systematic and successful expansion of Deutsche Messe's business in Turkey. She played a key role in expanding and enhancing the established trade fairs there, as well as positioning new trade events and themes in the Turkish market. Thanks to her unwavering commitment, Deutsche Messe's business in Turkey was able to rebound swiftly from the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. As a result, Turkey now figures among Deutsche Messe AG's most important foreign markets alongside China.

"We are delighted to welcome Annika Klar, an international trade fair professional, as Senior Vice President of our new division. Her understanding of global markets, intercultural cooperation and expertise in developing new themes make her an ideal fit for this position," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe.

The activities of the freshly established "New & Global Business Development" division are focused on the conceptualization and implementation of new trade fairs and events in Germany, as well as on strategic growth abroad.

Köckler: "With the new division and Annika Klar at its helm, we have created the necessary basis for successfully expanding our new business in Hannover and at the international level."