PLASA restructures for future

5 September 2011

UK / USA - As part of its ongoing merger activities and in response to the end of year departure of Ruth Rossington, executive director in Europe, PLASA has taken the opportunity to restructure its management team to ensure it continues to move the organisation forward while progressing a wide range of projects of benefit to members.

With effect from 1 October 2011, a new company structure will be put in place which sees CEO Matthew Griffiths heading up the association, whilst also temporarily overseeing the Events divisions in the UK and North America. Finance director Shane McGreevy becomes chief operating officer (COO) with responsibilities expanding beyond finance and core services into operational administration and personnel.

Lori Rubinstein, current executive director in North America, becomes the new director of membership, skills, standards & technical overseeing these core Association activities while Jackie Tien, formerly head of publishing in North America, assumes directorial responsibility for all media, sales and marketing activities.

This new structure is a transitional phase to a longer-term strategy designed to strengthen PLASA's role in the industry by recruiting a series of divisional heads to work under the management team to lead the future development of the five operating divisions of Events, Media, Membership, Skills, Standards & Technical. The first step towards this is already being taken with recruitment underway for a head of membership, a newly created role based in the UK that will focus on building the membership base internationally and strengthening and expanding the range of services offered to members. Interviews will take place in September with the aim of having the new person in place before the end of the year.

In early 2012, PLASA will appoint a new head of events who will have the remit of developing the Association's international portfolio of exhibitions and conferences. This will be part of a year of activities which will see other key changes implemented to ensure the Association continues to deliver a strong range of events, print and digital media, and services on behalf of the industry.

(Jim Evans)