At the end of July 2024, Erhard Wienkamp, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, will retire. His successor has been found within the company's ranks. Marius Berlemann, aged 38, will assume the position of CEO from Wienkamp starting in August 2024. This decision was made by the shareholders' meeting during their session on May 10, 2024, following the recommendation of the supervisory board.
Berlemann is no stranger to the wine industry. Early in his career, he became acquainted with ProWein as a Senior Project Manager before moving to China in 2013, where he spearheaded the establishment of the first ProWine China as Project Director. From 2014 to 2019, he then served as Project Director for ProWein in Düsseldorf while simultaneously holding the position of Global Head – Wine & Spirits. Subsequently, he returned to China to significantly advance Messe Düsseldorf's business in Asia.
"We are pleased that the supervisory board has followed the recommendation of the selection committee and appointed Marius Berlemann as the operational CEO. Our aim is to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities with this decision, ensuring continuity and continuing the quality and development of our operational business," said Wolfram N. Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.
A wide range of responsibilities
In the Wine & Spirits portfolio, ProWein is once again Berlemann's area of responsibility. Additionally, he will be responsible for the Plastics & Rubber portfolio, including the flagship trade fair K, the Health and Medical Technologies featuring the key trade fair Medica, the Beauty & Rehacare portfolio, the Caravaning & Outdoor portfolio including the renowned Caravan Salon Düsseldorf, and the Print Technologies portfolio featuring the flagship trade fair drupa.
The scope of responsibilities is completed by the Retail & Retail Technologies portfolio as well as the Occupational Safety & Health / Glass Technologies portfolio. Additionally, the Corporate Social Responsibility department and two out of three Sales Teams of Messe Düsseldorf are included. Furthermore, Berlemann will be responsible for the International Participations & Services departments, Special Events - including the German Houses for the Olympic and Paralympic Games - Conference Management, and the International Business department.
When Wienkamp leaves Messe Düsseldorf in July, he can look back on more than 30 years with the company. He started in 1993 as a project manager for Papro, K, and Interpack before taking over responsibility for international business. In 2020, Wienkamp was promoted to the management board and assumed responsibility for the entire operational trade fair business. CG
