Karen Bolinger retained for new role as Managing Director
Building on the anticipated recovery of the business events industry in the Asia Pacific region, PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat, CAE today announced that PCMA has retained global business events industry leader Karen Bolinger as Managing Director, Asia Pacific.
“As stakeholders in the global business events industry look towards a post-COVID-19 recovery, we believe that the Asia Pacific region will recover first and that the industry will be substantially changed,” said Sherrif Karamat. “Karen will support PCMA’s APAC growth through her track record of business event industry leadership success and ability to introduce new strategic initiatives in the face of industry and marketplace challenges.”
“In light of the current environment we find ourselves in, I’m excited to work with PCMA and the Asia Pacific team to develop a clear pathway of available opportunities to activate the recovery of the business events industry in the APAC region. PCMA is determined to ensure business events are a critical part of the recovery solution in a post-COVID-19 world. And today that solution starts in the Asia Pacific”, added Karamat.
As a former CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau and Chair of the BestCities Global Alliance, Ms Bolinger has made significant business event contributions to the visitor economies of Australia and other leading international destinations. This includes the ability to successfully bring industry, government policymakers, business partners and service organisations together to focus on new opportunities.
Ms Bolinger will be based in Melbourne, Australia and will lead PCMA’s Asia Pacific operations team through its office in Singapore. Her focus will be on new initiatives to extend and strengthen PCMA’s presence in the region. This includes region-specific events, thought leadership, curated content and education, as well as enhanced stakeholder engagement and identifying new business partners.
