Deutsche Messe AG restructures its board of directors: securing the Hanover location and preserving jobs

Deutsche Messe AG is restructuring its personnel and consistently aligning its board of directors with the further development of the company and, in particular, the exhibition grounds.

With an expanded three-member board, the company is setting clear priorities in the areas of trade fair business, digitalization and site development & transformation, as the Lower Saxony Minister of Economic Affairs and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Messe AG, Grant Hendrik Tonne, announced today in Hanover.

Focus on trade fair business, digitalization and site development & transformation

Grant Hendrik Tonne (pictured above): “The trade fair business is undergoing profound change – enormously challenging economically, but also offering clear opportunities for strong locations. With the addition of Konstantin Kühl to the Executive Board, which now includes Dr. Jochen Köckler and Dr. Holger Feist, Deutsche Messe AG is setting clear priorities in the trade fair business, digitalization, and site development & transformation. The Supervisory Board will continue to closely monitor this course. Our shared goal: to secure the Hanover location, preserve jobs, and consolidate the trade fair's excellent national and international reputation.”

Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Hanover's Mayor Belit Onay (pictured above), explains: "The newly formed DMAG board is embracing the challenges and will position the trade fair for the future. The development of new business models and the digitalization of the company are essential in this process. Deutsche Messe AG is Hanover's gateway to the world, and everyone involved knows: now it's about setting the right course for the future."

Dr. Jochen Köckler (pictured above) will be appointed Chairman of the Board. To further develop the trade fair business in Hanover, with a particular focus on strengthening established leading trade fairs such as HANNOVER MESSE and EMO Hannover, as well as attracting new partner trade fairs. These include, among others, the defense trade fair DSEI Germany and the energy trade fair Europe Energy Week, which will take place in Hanover for the first time in 2027.

Since May 1, 2026, Dr. Holger Feist (pictured left) has joined the Executive Board of Deutsche Messe AG. The Supervisory Board appointed Dr. Feist as a new member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Messe AG. His focus is on developing new business both domestically and internationally, as well as on the company's digitalization. This includes, in particular, the development of new digital services that offer exhibiting companies and visitors added value and meaningfully extend the trade fair experience into the digital world. He is also responsible for guest trade fairs at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds, including AGRITECHNICA and IAA Transportation. Dr. Feist has many years of experience in management consulting, media, digitalization, and the international trade fair industry. After positions at McKinsey & Company and Hubert Burda Media, he served as Chief Strategy Officer of Messe München, where he was responsible for the company's strategic development.

Konstantin Kühl (pictured above) will take office as the third member of the board on Monday, May 18, 2026. Konstantin Kühl joins the Executive Board. He will be responsible for developing a long-term master plan for the future of Deutsche Messe. The goal is to strategically evaluate the current business model and consistently develop it further. This includes decisions regarding future surplus exhibition space as well as targeted investments – with the aim of continuing to offer customers a unique trade fair experience in Hanover. Konstantin Kühl has been a partner at Roland Berger since 2017. There, he advises on complex transformation projects and develops and implements strategic and operational concepts.