ICCA selects new CEO

International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) board of directors has appointed Senthil Gopinath as its new CEO, effective this month. As per the ICCA process, the board made the selection in a closed-vote process, with Gopinath winning by majority vote. 

Gopinath’s career in the meetings and travel industry spans more than 20 years, with 18 years spent working within ICCA member organisations. He joined the association team in 2016 as regional director of ICCA Middle East. In that role, he forged new relationships with regional governments and industry partners and helped grow the Middle East membership by more than 80%.

His other career accomplishments include elevating business travel operations for Emirates Group as its head of business development and operations, and creating a private-public partnership model for the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau as its general manager and CEO.

Gopinath’s responsibilities as ICCA CEO will include developing and executing annual business plans, ensuring operational sustainability and financial controls, and building ICCA’s global membership and presence with a focus on developing member services adapted to each of its key regions. He will work from the head office in Amsterdam.

On Gopinath’s appointment, ICCA president James Rees said: “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated not only that he can establish a vision, but also chart the tactical path to reach that vision, always working from a solid foundation of operational and financial expertise.”