Paul Woodward Stepping Down as UFI Managing Director

February 17, 2015

In a letter to UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry’s members, UFI President Andrés Lopez-Valderrama said Paul Woodward, the organization’s managing director, would be stepping down later this year.

Lopez-Valderrama added that Woodward had made the decision “to spend more time with family and to cut down on travel and business commitments. UFI is in a very strong position, but we now have to embark on the task of finding a replacement for Paul.”

Woodward, who has been in the position for the past five years, will remain in his post until at least after the Milan Congress, UFI’s annual meeting scheduled Nov. 4-7.

Executive recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles’ Paris office has been engaged to start the process to fill the position.  

“This is without doubt the most engaging and interesting job I have ever had,” Woodward said of his time spent at UFI.

He added, “The opportunity to work closely with the leadership of our industry all around the world is incredibly stimulating. At the same time, I have been very lucky to work with a great team of people at UFI’s offices in Paris, Sharjah and Hong Kong and have enjoyed every minute. However, I will this year hit the milestone of 5 million kilometers flown for business since I first moved to Asia. That’s 14 times to the moon and back, and I’m looking forward to quite a bit less time in the air.”

Woodward will continue to be based in London and said, “I hope to be able to remain engaged with the industry for many years to come.”

UFI invites anyone to recommend suitable candidates directly to Heidrick & Struggles. The contact there is Didier Bonnefoy (dbonnefoy@heidrick.com).

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