Werner M. Dornscheidt appointed to be the future President and CEO of Messe Duesseldorf GmbH
Decision unanimously taken by the Shareholders’ Meeting and Supervisory Board

Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, currently Chief Executive Officer of the Leipzig trade fair company, Leipziger Messe, has been unanimously chosen to succeed Wilhelm Giese as President and CEO of the Messe Duesseldorf group of companies.

Once the two trade fair companies’ supervisory bodies have agreed on the details, Mr. Dornscheidt is expected to assume his new responsibilities in Duesseldorf in 2004. In choosing him, Messe Duesseldorf has opted for a man who knows the trade fair and exhibitions business inside out. Not only that, but Dornscheidt also worked closely with Wilhelm Giese to develop Messe Duesseldorf’s flourishing international operations before he took up his Leipzig post.

48 years of age, Werner Matthias Dornscheidt first joined Messe Duesseldorf (or NOWEA as it was then known) in 1979, his first posting being to the Foreign Fairs Central Division.

In 1981, he moved to the subsidiary company Internationale Messemarketing GmbH (IMG), where he took charge of consulting and marketing assignments.

In 1984, Dornscheidt moved on to another subsidiary, NOWEA International GmbH, becoming a head of department in his field of expertise in 1986. He was chosen as Wilhelm Giese’s deputy at Messe Duesseldorf International GmbH in 1990, and fulfilled that role until he was appointed CEO of Leipziger Messe GmbH in 1999.

During that period, he acted as Chief Executive Officer of Messe Duesseldorf North America for a time. In 1998 and 1999, he was also a member of the Managing Board of another Messe Duesseldorf subsidiary, Messe BVV AG in Brno, Czech Republic.

Werner M. Dornscheidt was highly regarded by the Duesseldorf management because of the dynamism and commitment he demonstrated at all stages of his career. Probably one of the best examples of this was his winning the commission for Messe Duesseldorf to organise and operate Germany’s official representation, Das Deutsche Haus, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 on behalf of the country’s National Olympic Committee – this remains an important project for Messe Duesseldorf today.

The Mayor of Duesseldorf, Joachim Erwin, expressed his deep conviction that this is a great appointment for the company and its future: "This means we are keeping our trade fair operations on track by combining continuity, dynamism and a pioneering spirit. In Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, I am quite certain that we have found the best person to meet the major challenges for the Messe Duesseldorf companies in this decade and beyond."

The current Chairman of the Executive Management, Wilhelm Giese, also made it clear that he was very pleased with the decision taken. "This decision shows that, after decades of continuity followed by a period of tumult and a consolidation phase, the company is now right back on track. I have known Werner Dornscheidt, my own top choice for the job, for many years, and I know this will be the right man in the right place. Among the things that make me certain of this are the style of management and assertiveness he has shown at the head of Leipziger Messe under very difficult circumstances."

Werner M. Dornscheidt looks ahead with confidence to his new role. "I’m well aware of Messe Duesseldorf’s excellent position in the international arena – not only from my own time in Duesseldorf but especially also from my experience in Leipzig. Here in Duesseldorf, we shall continue to focus on our core activities in which we are well positioned; besides pressing ahead with our international campaign, we intend to keep Messe Duesseldorf on its path of dynamic yet controlled growth. I am totally satisfied that Messe Duesseldorf is in excellent shape not just to maintain its strong position but also to build on it in a targeted manner, making best use of market conditions. I can hardly think of a business with such a good basis for further expansion, and I know I can rely on a committed team of employees, both in the parent company and the subsidiaries, who really have their minds on the job – this is what experts mean when they talk about human capital! And please, let us not forget our foreign representative offices, who show an outstanding level of identification with Messe Duesseldorf."

The new appointment will, at the same time, open a new chapter in a long, but also frequently shifting history of mutual support and cooperation between the trade fair organisations of two German cities. Duesseldorfers remember to this day that the first long-serving chief executive of Messe Duesseldorf, Dr. Herbert Engst, came from Leipzig – then the only trade fair city anywhere in Germany with pan-European renown – and laid the crucial foundations for a competent range of specialised events with an international flavour. Kurt Schoop, the next chief executive in office for a long period, not only oversaw the construction of the new Duesseldorf trade fair complex in the 1960s but also the new Leipziger Messe in the 1990s. Just as his predecessor Dr. Engst had done in Duesseldorf, Kurt Schoop – now Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board in Leipzig – laid the foundations for a new range of trade fairs there covering many expert fields. The third long-serving CEO in Duesseldorf, Prof. Claus Groth, is also playing his part in this build-up, as chairman of the finance committee and a member of the Supervisory Board of Leipziger Messe.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, the Mayor of Duesseldorf Joachim Erwin commented: "On these foundations which have continued to function to this day, I believe there is every chance of the [two trade fairs’] mutual support at least continuing. In the light of current developments on the trade fair scene, if the governing bodies in Leipzig so wish, I could also well envisage additional ventures, not only along the lines of our Moscow involvement. I am sure that, led by Werner Matthias Dornscheidt’s well-grounded vision, the company will again find the courage to make innovative, performance-oriented moves from its well-established base. The processes begun by Karlheinz Wismer and rigorously pursued by Wilhelm Giese during my period as Chairman of the Supervisory Board will now continue with much-enhanced prospects and new strength. At the same time, we will be able to return to the continuity of leadership which has made Messe Duesseldorf a great organisation." On a final note, he added: "I’m sure today is a very special day for Messe Duesseldorf."

For further information, please contact:
Ingo Lentz
Director, Information and Public Relations
Messe Duesseldorf GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)211 4560-995
Fax: +49 (0)211 4560-87995
E-mail: LentzI@messe-duesseldorf.de

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