John Bollom appointed new ATE chairman

John Bollom appointed new ATE chairman

John Bollom, managing director of the Amusement Equipment Co Ltd (AMECO), has been confirmed as the new chairman of Amusement Trades Exhibitions Ltd (ATE), the exhibitions, events and e-commerce company best known for organising the annual London shows. Mr Bollom, who has served the industry in a number of capacities including BACTA President (1996 to ‘97), BACTA Treasurer (1983 to ‘93) and since 1988 as a director of ATE, succeeds Brian Meaden. The appointment is for a two-year term.

Speaking for the first time since his appointment, Mr Bollom said: "It is my great honour to accept the chairmanship of ATE. Following the 1999 strategic review, ATE has been transformed from a single event company to what is now a multi-faceted business-to-business organisation encompassing exhibitions, conferences, events, print publishing and the internet. My role is to provide support and direction to chief executive Peter Rusbridge and his team as we seek to consolidate our position in what are dynamic markets and to actively explore and develop new business opportunities."

The rotation of directors, which was approved by BACTA's National Council as part of the Strategic Review of the company, has seen three former ATE chairmen, Brian Meaden, Charles Henry and Jimmy Thomas move to the Holdings Board and Simon Thomas join the Operations Board which meets on a monthly basis.

Paying tribute to the three, John Bollom said: "The strength of the rotation system is that it allows the organisation to retain the services of key people such as Brian, Charles and Jimmy in a capacity which suits individual circumstances. It would have been a travesty to lose the input of three ex-chairmen, all of whom possess a wealth of industry knowledge."