Exhibition News May 2022 | Page 38

Interview

Place bigger bets

When Hugh Jones took over as CEO of Reed Exhibitions , now RX Global , in February 2020 , the cards were stacked against him . But he tells Emily Wallin he has the ace in the hole by creating a culture of making big bets

Hugh Jones has no regrets over taking on the post of CEO of RX Global just weeks before exhibitions worldwide were put on hold by Covid-19 .

In fact , he believes the pandemic gave him the perfect opportunity to streamline and rebuild the business even better than before .
Having led RX back to profitability by Q2 of 2021 , Jones is convinced the future is bright for exhibitions .
Despite his background in data , compliance and technology-based businesses , he still sees face-to-face events as the core of the business , and is a committed believer in the magic of live ,
“ I can say hand on heart that this industry is full of tactical wizards , who are incredibly resilient .” albeit with a digital package to boost the value of products and keep exhibitors and visitors engaged .
“ I can say hand on heart that this industry is full of tactical wizards , who are incredibly resilient ,” says Jones .
“ They can pivot faster than other executives in other industries . You can ’ t change the date but the show must go on . Because of that teams come together to go far and above to exceed expectations . When they do that , it never fails to astonish me .
“ I believe I was incredibly blessed . I came into it at a time when we were able to investigate every nook a cranny of this
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