News Focus
Fostering change at Shinesmith
Former divisional CEO
at UBM, Simon Foster
joins Shinesmith as non-
executive director
S
hinesmith, a sales partner for the
exhibition industry, has announced
the appointment of Simon Foster as
non-executive director.
Simon Foster previously held
the position of divisional CEO at
UBM (now Informa) in addition to
being a global executive committee
member and was global CEO of
Comexposium. Shinesmith.
Founder of Shinesmith, Claire
Washington explains that 20 years
ago, she developed the idea of this
highly effective commercial sales
service, and Simon Foster played
a major role in its introduction at
UBM, the first beneficiaries, and
more recently at Comexposium,
supporting him to introduce onsite
rebooking.
She said: “It is actually a story of
Simon being on the journey with
us from the outset. There are many
great ideas in business that do
not reach their potential because
of a lack of support, we were very
fortunate that this was not our
experience. This demonstrates
the significance of building solid
relationships in business, they are
often more important than the ideas
themselves.”
In 2019, Shinesmith acquired
a coaching and development
organisation in order to build the
Shinesmith Academy services whilst
also adding dedicated resources for
improving sales performance.
As the company exists in an
industry increasingly focused
on sustainability and digital
transformation, Shinesmith has
reportedly remained ‘committed
to providing the most effective
“The company’s development over the past
few years is extraordinary”
sales and rebooking solutions,
digital tools, and training, to
help boost sales results for event
organisers’. Over the last year,
Shinesmith supported 60 events,
in 12 countries, including working
with the world’s largest exhibition
organisers.
Simon Foster said: “It’s an exciting
time to be joining Shinesmith. The
company’s development over the
past few years is extraordinary.
It’s clear that their passion and
ambition is what our industry
needs. I look forward to working
with them to enhance their
positioning as a global leader
in sales, delivering innovative,
profitable, and sustainable,
customer experiences.”
Director of Shinesmith, Donna
Shaw, commented: “There is
more to the significant industry
announcement of Simon Foster
joining us as a non-executive
director than the conversation we
had over lunch a few months earlier.
It is actually a story of Simon
being on the journey with us from
the outset. There are many great
ideas in business that do not reach
their potential because of a lack of
support, we were very fortunate
that this was not our experience.”
Washington-Smit, added: “I’m
delighted to welcome Simon to the
board of Shinesmith. He brings
a wealth of knowledge of the
exhibition industry, as well as a
passion for organisational change,
elements central to the DNA of
Shinesmith. We look forward to his
contribution and guidance as we
progress towards our vision.” EN
March — 13