INFORMA EXHIBITIONS NAMES MARK TEMPLE-SMITH AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FASHION

Following the merger of Informa PLC and UBM, Informa Exhibitions has appointed Mark Temple-Smith as managing director for the Group’s Fashion Exhibitions business, which includes leading brands such as WWDMAGIC, Coterie, Project and Project Womens.

Temple-Smith takes over for outgoing managing director Mike Alic, who stepped down to pursue new interests after 14 years of contributions to the leadership and growth of Advanstar and UBM Fashion.

Temple-Smith has over 20 years’ experience in the exhibitions market. He was most recently commercial director for Informa Exhibitions, responsible for new growth initiatives in its EMEA and Americas businesses. Prior to joining Informa, he was chief executive officer of Asia for the B2B media group Tarsus Group and managing director of Asia for ITE Group plc, where he was instrumental in growing their Asian business from a start-up to some 50 exhibitions and over 400 colleagues.

In this role, Temple-Smith will oversee a previously-announced three-year plan to bring new investments to the Fashion brands and show experience, as well as enhancements in areas such as marketing, content, digital and customer service. The plan is designed to better enable exhibitors and attendees to connect, discover new leads, showcase products and further grow and achieve business success through these in person and online platforms during a time of fast change in the industry.

“We are pleased to have Mark take on this essential role as we focus on rolling out such an initiative so important to the fashion marketplace and dedicating the right resources – management, technology and branding – to supporting our customers’ success,” said Charlie McCurdy, CEO of Informa Exhibitions. “We believe the combination of Informa’s global approach to B2B events marketing and our customer-first focus, with UBM’s history and strength in Fashion particularly in the US and Asia, is a powerful engine for growth in the fashion events market.”

“Fashion is a highly international, increasingly digital and fast-changing market. I’m looking forward to enhancing our brands and platforms, and working closely with our customers to understand and find solutions to their business needs and support their year-round marketing priorities,” added Temple-Smith. “In taking on this role, I will be working with a strong team that has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of branding and marketing in the fashion events space. Our fashion group serves the needs of the $1 trillion global fashion industry through 21 show brands across seven marketplaces that cover all major fashion categories, and we will continue to focus on strengthening our relationships with the industry’s global community of brands and retailers.”