NEC creates new senior management roles

The positions have been introduced in response to the increasing success of the venue and the significant ongoing investments and developments around the NEC site. 

The appointments have been made internally with Linda Ritchie, formerly Event Director, appointed as Venue GM and Gary Masters, formerly Security and Traffic Operations Manager, appointed as Campus GM.

In her role as Venue GM, Linda will focus on maximising capacity at the venue and driving forward the NEC’s Customer Experience Programme even further, whilst continuing to lead the Event Management team in delivering successful events. The new role builds on the great work already done at the NEC and will seek to continue to drive forward co-ordination and greater team working across the venue, which will prove vital as the venue becomes more successful; hosting more events and welcoming more visitors.

 

The Campus GM role will focus on the wider NEC Campus - which encompasses all businesses on the existing site, including the NEC, the Hilton Metropole and Resorts World, as a single unit. Gary will manage relationships between all current and future campus stakeholders as well as working closely with external stakeholders.

Commenting on the new roles, Kathryn James, Managing Director of NEC Conventions and Exhibitions, said: “Since the opening of Resorts World a year ago, we have become a 24/7 destination and are welcoming some six million visitors to our site each year. We expect this figure to continue to grow as the development of High Speed Rail commences and new investment opportunities arise. The landscape of the NEC site is set to completely transform over the next 10 years and these roles aim to ensure that we are fully equipped to manage these changes effectively and to maximise the experience of all customers and visitors to our venue and the wider site.

“Gary and Linda have 41years of experience at the NEC Group between them, 25 and 16 years respectively, so were the perfect candidates to step into these roles. With their extensive knowledge of the NEC venue and wider campus, we are confident that they will be able to help us manage this site-wide transition effectively and to the benefit of everyone we welcome to the NEC site.”