ICC Sydney’s industry Future Shapers announced

03 Nov 2022

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), managed by ASM Global, has announced the selection of two senior team members in the prestigious International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) Future Shapers accelerated leadership program.

ICC Sydney CEO and Group Director – Convention Centres, ASM Global (APAC), Geoff Donaghy said that he was proud to have two team members among the 13 global candidates enrolled into the bespoke industry leadership program – Dana Fish, Senior Manager, Business Development – National Associations and Sathyan Chandrasekhar, Financial Controller.

“In the world of convention centre management, having two of ICC Sydney’s high performing senior members invited to undertake the course will help our international community address the challenges and leverage the opportunities most relevant to our industry, and ultimately better support our clients to deliver extraordinary events.

“Following a successful inaugural year where two senior leaders in our organisation advanced through the AIPC Future Shapers program and developed an innovative solution for our industry, we look forward to Dana and Sathyan’s contributions over the coming eight months. Having both joined ICC Sydney in our pre-opening period, together they have 40 years’ industry experience and a wealth of knowledge to contribute to the new Future Shapers cohort,” Mr Donaghy said.

The AIPC Future Shapers program is led by AIPC CEO, Sven Bossu and several international convention centre leaders including founding taskforce member, ICC Sydney Director of Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability, Samantha Glass.

“The AIPC Future Shapers program was developed to engage high performing talent, to accelerate their leadership skills, and provide them with the opportunity to step out of their day-to-day operations, take a helicopter view of the challenges our industry faces and through collaboration with global peers, help to shape the future of the convention centre management industry. As the legacy projects developed through the inaugural program showed – the results can be outstanding.

“Congratulations to the AIPC Future Shapers participants worldwide, including ICC Sydney’s Dana and Sathyan on their selection, I look forward to sharing their journey across the three key stages of the program encompassing masterclasses, the industry challenge and a pitch-style presentation on the global stage of the AIPC Congress in July 2023,” Ms Glass said.

Through education, a community of peers and mentors, and a platform to perform, the program has already supported 16 future leaders to be the future shapers of the events industry.

Dana Fish is a passionate business events professional who brings great energy to her approach to servicing a broad range of clients and events. Having operated in the world of conferences and events for two decades, Dana has extensive knowledge of the industry and the requirements necessary to develop and implement successful events and meetings. Dana was part of the pre-opening business development team that successfully launched ICC Sydney and has proactively worked for over seven years to attract international and national events.

Sathyan Chandrasekhar brings two decades of experience to his leadership role having long led finance teams in national events venues. Sathyan was an integral member of ICC Sydney’s pre-opening team having joined in June 2016 and advancing to the role of Financial Controller. Sathyan supported the organisation’s successful financial management through the disruption of the past two years and is known for his sharp business acumen, warm leadership style and ability to translate complex financial information to be readily understood and applied by the broader venue team.

The AIPC Future Shapers program provides participants with an interactive roadmap towards excellence in convention centre management. Objectives of the AIPC Future Shapers program appeal to candidates and their venues alike as the course supports talent retention, growth and success and the opportunity to provide a lasting positive legacy for the industry. The program will culminate in the participants presenting a pitch to the global AIPC convention centre community at the AIPC Congress to be held in Luxembourg in July 2023.

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