Ignition appoints Mark Eddy as new chief commercial officer

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Leading exhibitions, events and experiences company Ignition has appointed Mark Eddy as its new chief commercial officer (CCO) with immediate effect. Mark joins Ignition from live events giant GES, where he was CCO, leading a commercial team of 80 people across the EMEA, Australian, South African and Far East regions and helping to deliver experiential marketing projects in over 45 individual industry sectors. Mark’s new role for Ignition will be to identify, develop and deliver the company’s annual strategies and to bring its great story of creative success and pioneering sustainability to a wider commercial audience. Mark will also be CCO for Ignition’s parent company, Istoria Group, giving him a group-wide remit for sales and operations.

We are delighted with this new appointment” commented Sam Rowe, CEO of both Ignition and Istoria Group. “Mark is a highly-experienced and informed board-level executive, with a great track record in delivering strategic business growth. Culturally, we believe he will be a great fit with our purpose-driven, ethical mission and our focus on ‘people, planet and profit’, including our drive to make our sector more sustainable by offering a wide range of innovative and bespoke outcomes.”

I’ve known about Ignition for a long time” Mark Eddy commented, “and have watched the company’s growth and growing stature with interest. My ambitions are to be a champion for the company’s great story and to amplify it to a much wider audience, both by sector and geography, bringing the good news to those clients in particular who understand the benefits of working with a purpose-driven, game-changing company. I’m a big believer in the WHY in business – and Ignition has reasons why written all through its DNA.”

Prior to joining Ignition, Mark worked in senior positions at GES (Global Experience Specialists) for 13 years, the last 7 years as CCO. Before that he was the MD of Melville Teamworks, a division of GES and also Head of Business Development for Service Exhibitions (part of St Ives plc), after starting his career in the late 90s with Silver Knight Exhibitions, part of MICE Group, where he also first met and worked alongside future Istoria Group founder and chairwoman Claire Menzies. Mark cites his superb track record as being down to his desire to ‘unite international sales teams through thought leadership, shared values, passion and purpose in delivering each compelling experience.’ His vast experience covers almost every major industry sector, from aerospace, aviation, automotive and apparel to telecommunications, food and packaging.

Ignition is a Bristol-based, women-owned SME that has created a strong reputation for its pioneering sustainable approach and strong ethical corporate personality, which includes a focus on quality (with three ISO standards to its name); people management skills (with awards including ‘Best Employer’ at the EN Elite Awards and being part of the ‘UK’s Best Workplaces’); as well as its ‘people, planet and profit’ focus on sustainability, recognised in 2020 both with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development and being named Sustainable Organisation of the Year at the IEMA Sustainability Awards.

Mark’s good name in the industry – with profile testimonials from former colleagues focusing on his ability to blend ‘superb people skills with rigorous business acumen’, his ‘leadership ability’ and his ‘highly ethical and scrupulously fair’ business attitude – ensures he will be another great addition to the senior management team at Ignition and Istoria Group’ Sam Rowe concluded. ‘We expect great things!’

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.

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