Event tech scale-up, HeadBox, has welcomed Karen Hutchings as a board director to support its growth and expansion into new geographical markets.
The company, which is powered by software products HeadBox Business and Lead Feed, has driven £50m of meetings and events bookings to host venues in the UK, U.S. and EMEA in 2023.
As the global head of travel, meetings and events at EY and the former chair of the board of directors of the Institute of Travel Management, Hutchings led the EY global travel, meetings and events team for over 11 years.
Hutchings was key in the adoption of HeadBox Business as part of EY’s UK meetings and events programme and sat on HeadBox’s sustainability innovation panel, helping the company to launch HeadBox Zero.
With HeadBox Business, the company has won four out of the five last meetings and events RFPs it has been invited to and retained 95% of its corporate customers since October 2020. This performance helped HeadBox to grow by another 50% YOY in 2023.
Hutching’s experience and relationships aims to help HeadBox Business to win more major clients in 2024 and beyond, while her global strategic leadership will help HeadBox prepare its entry into the U.S. market.
Hutchings said: “Having experienced the HeadBox Business software and value proposition first-hand, I can see how HeadBox is expertly positioned to transform the meetings and events industry. I’m excited to work with Andrew and his passionate, talented team and join a company that has AI-powered software and technology at the heart of its offering – an essential ingredient to solving some of the key problems facing our rapidly changing sector.”
Andrew Needham, CEO and founder, HeadBox, added: “Having had another strong year in 2023, where we grew the company by another 50% and reached profitability, I am thrilled to have such a recognised industry icon and leader, in Karen, joining HeadBox at such an exciting time in our development.”
