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ASM Global Hires Olympia London CEO
Julie Driscoll will take on the role of chief executive officer of Olympia London, the historic venue operated by ASM Global.
Driscoll is an entrepreneurial leader with 25 years of B2C and B2B experience driving growth through building and leading multi-functional teams within Hyve, Ascential, Emap, WVIP and Highbury House Communications plc.
Currently the divisional managing director for retail, manufacturing and engineering at Hyve Group plc, chair of the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) and board member of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), Driscoll has a proven track record for transforming legacy brands such as Spring and Autumn Fair, Pure London, Breakbulk and Cwieme.
Driscoll joins Olympia London with vast experience in running the UK’s largest trade events and cross-industry collaboration via the AEO and EIA. She will step down as chair of AEO, and thanked “Chris Skeith OBE, CEO of the AEO, the wider AEO team, the Exec and the board for their support and incredible hard work. The AEO is an important organization supporting and nurturing the thriving exhibitions’ industry. It has been such a joy to be part of the AEO community and I look forward to seeing what I know will be their successful journey ahead.”
See: ASM Global Appointed To Manage Olympia London
Driscoll will take on her new role as CEO of Olympia London with effect from Dec. 5. She’ll take over from current managing director, Nigel Nathan, who will remain in a consultancy role for three months to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Driscoll commented, “I am thrilled to be joining Olympia London under the management of ASM Global – a world leader of event venues and entertainment. For 136 years Olympia London has been the home of inspirational events. In partnership with the venue’s owners, Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International, I very much look forward to working with the wonderful Olympia London team, to position the venue as a world class destination for the next 100 years.”
Chris Bray, executive vice president of ASM Global Europe, said, “We are delighted to welcome Julie to the ASM Global team. Julie has an ambitious vision for Olympia London, an eye for operational excellence, and joins us with exceptional experience as a highly skilled entrepreneurial leader, working successfully with renowned brands and some of the UK’s biggest trade events. We are confident that Julie will bring enormous value, drive growth and lead Olympia London towards a tremendously exciting future.”
Nathan added, “I am so proud to have worked with such an amazing and passionate team at Olympia London for the last 23 years. We’ve achieved so much together. Finding the right person to lead our glorious venue into its exciting future was vital. Julie brings impressive experience from across the events industry, and a strong vision for how to build upon Olympia London’s heritage of hosting events that have helped drive the economy and delighted millions of visitors for the last 136 years.”
Olympia London has been a cultural and architectural landmark since opening its doors in 1886. Today, it attracts more than 1.6 million visitors to over 200 events each year. ASM Global was appointed to run operations at Olympia London in March of this year, further expanding its footprint in Europe.
The building is currently undergoing a $1.7 billion redevelopment, scheduled to be completed in 2024. Once completed, it will feature a 4,400 capacity live music venue; a 1,575-seat performing arts theater; a school for the creative arts; 100,000 square feet of restaurants, bars and eateries; two globally renowned hotels; 550,000 square feet of offices and 2.5 acres of new public realm.