Nina Freysen-Pretorius, founder and CEO of The Conference Company, a Durban, South Africa-based conference planning company, has been elected president of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), ICCA announced this week. She is the organization's first-ever African president, and its third-ever female president.
"With ICCA celebrating 50 years of industry involvement I am so glad an African leader is given an opportunity to lead. Now is the time for ICCA to extend its influence into new markets and developing countries, fostering continued growth that will provide jobs, assist in the alleviation of poverty, and contribute to a better life for many," Freysen-Pretorius said in a statement. "My objective is to ensure that ICCA continues to provide benefits which enable its members to generate and maintain significant competitive advantage. These benefits may mean different things in different parts of the world and we have to be in a position to respond accordingly. Future focus should be to increase the quality and professionalism of our members by educational tools and unique networking events."
Freysen-Pretorius succeeds ICCA's current president, Arnaldo Nardone, who is stepping down after two terms. She was elected by the ICCA General Assembly from a pool of three candidates; also vying for the position were Handan Boyce from the Halic Congress Center in Turkey and Martin Winter from the Gold Coast Tourism Corp. in Australia.
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