Anbu Varathan, Director General & CEO, IMTMA, has announced he is stepping down from his positions in UFI, effective immediately. Varathan, who served as UFI President in 2021, informed the UFI leadership yesterday. Mary Larkin, President at Diversified Communications USA and UFI President 2020, will re-join the UFI Trio until November 2022.
UFI President Monica Lee-Müller thanked Varathan for his service – initially on the UFI Board, and since 2017 as a member of the Executive Committee. “Anbu stood at the helm of UFI in the midst of the pandemic, putting a special effort into growing UFI’s advocacy work. On behalf of the whole UFI community, I want to thank him for his tireless work.”
Extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary approaches
Excerpts from Anbu’s post after his resignation:
Mr. Anbu Varathan served as the President of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, during 2020-21. He is the first Indian to have assumed this role and has been serving on the UFI Board of Directors since 2011, and as UFI Executive Committee member since 2017. The UFI Executive Committee is the top body of UFI for making all executive decisions.
The UFI Executive Committee in its meeting on 11th March 2022 decided to temporarily suspend access to UFI events and activities for representatives from Russian member organisations while calling on the Russian leadership to implement the UN resolution.
Anbu however is not in agreement with the decision taken by the UFI Executive Committee to punish the Russian Exhibition community. Anbu has articulated that UFI always should stand for the entire exhibition industry and its position should not change even in the Russian-Ukraine conflict. UFI Executive Committee in its deliberations and decisions on such crucial subjects should be setting high standards.
Anbu strongly supports the approach taken by India urging Vladimir Putin – President of Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – President of Ukraine, NATO leadership and the US President – Mr. Joe Biden to resolve this war and reach peace through dialogue and process of diplomacy.
While greatly appreciating UFI’s efforts in not expelling members from Russia unlike a few other organizations, Anbu doesn’t support UFI decision to temporarily suspend access to UFI events and activities for representatives from Russian member businesses.
According to Anbu, this decision to punish Russian companies by suspending access would harm mutual “trust” among global exhibition industry players – which is of most crucial value to the exhibition industry.
