Global meetings industry association PCMA has appointed Bruce MacMillan (pictured) as chief operating officer. He will head PCMA’s Recovery Discovery business events recovery plan for the industry.
PCMA president and CEO Sherrif Karamat announced the appointment of MacMillan, hitherto the association chief marketing officer, effective immediately.
MacMillan has over 30 years’ experience in the business events industry and is a former president and CEO of MPI.
As chief marketing officer MacMillan was the architect of Recovery Discovery.
“In addition to serving as MPI’s president and CEO during the 2008-09 recession, Bruce has led transformational industry undertakings through his role at Tourism Toronto (post-SARS recovery plan) and with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games bid,” said Karamat. “The global business industry needs a pathway to its next normal and PCMA is the only organisation with a plan to help business events industry stakeholders thrive through the pandemic and beyond. Bruce’s focus will be on bringing that plan to life for our members, partners and audiences everywhere.”
As part of the association’s organisational shake up, Robert Haas has been named chief technology officer and operational leader of PCMA’s technology and business intelligence infrastructure, reporting to MacMillan.
Karen Bolinger, managing director of PCMA’s APAC operations, and a soon to be announced leader for PCMA’s EMEA operations, will now report directly to Sherrif Karamat.
“As challenging as the effects of the pandemic and related economic fallout have been for our industry, we have to look at the opportunity we have in front of us,” said MacMillan. “The business of human connections has never been more valuable and more needed than it is right now. Our Recovery Discovery plan provides the essential insights around participant engagement, business models and reskilling in order to help business events stakeholders everywhere be successful in our industry’s next normal.”
