INFORMA MARKETS BOLSTERS LEADERSHIP TEAM
Informa Markets has promoted Mark Temple-Smith to chief operating officer of the company and has hired Nancy Walsh as president of its fashion business, which includes trade shows such as MAGIC, Coterie, and Project. Both will be part of the company’s senior management team.
Temple-Smith has over 20 years’ experience in the international exhibitions industry, most recently as president of the Informa Markets fashion portfolio. Here, he worked with the fashion team to implement a strategy to revitalize the business and return it to growth. In 2019 this led to the successful implementation of “Fashion GAP”, a three-year targeted improvement program. Prior to Informa, Temple-Smith managed a number of major, international exhibitions brands within Canon Communications, ITE Group, and Tarsus. In his new role as COO, Temple-Smith will be responsible for developing and expanding the way Informa Markets delivers upon its promise “to become a true Market Maker for customers and the specialist markets it serves.”
Walsh joins Informa Markets from international events design and delivery group Freeman, where she held the position of SVP of brand experience. She will succeed Temple-Smith in the role of president of fashion, in January 2020. Before joining Freeman, Walsh was North American president of Reed Exhibitions, having worked her way up through the business over a 32-year career that, amongst other things, included leading a number of consumer-focused shows in the retail space, including the JCK jewelry show, the National Hardware Show and the PGA Merchandise Show for golf industry professionals.
“Nancy brings a wealth of experience in running a large-scale, international exhibitions business, with a successful track record of driving revenue growth through creating new brand experiences for customers,” said Charlie McCurdy, CEO of Informa Markets. “It’s a testament to the reputation we have within our industry that we’re able to attract such outstanding talent to our already strong team.”
“I’m excited to join an international business with such a strong portfolio of high-quality specialist brands, committed to investing in developing new technology and innovative digital solutions for its customers,” said Walsh. “This is especially important in the fast-paced and highly international fashion industry, where the needs of consumers – and therefore exhibition customers – is ever-changing. I’m looking forward to building upon the great work by Mark and the team and getting to know our customers better, to understand how we can best provide support in helping them to achieve their year-round priorities and goals.”
Temple-Smith added: “At Informa Markets, we are always looking for more effective ways to deliver products and services that meet the needs of our customers. Working alongside a talented team in our Fashion business, we helped to strengthen the global community of brands and retailers. In my new role, I look forward to continuing to support the Fashion business and Nancy, whilst applying my experience more broadly across many more of our specialist markets worldwide.”