Koelnmesse fires COO

On 16 November, the supervisory board of Koelnmesse terminated its working relationship with chief operating officer Katharina C. Hamma (52) with immediate effect. According to the company, the board fired Hamma “in light of differing views on the future strategic direction of the company”. Koelnmesse’s statement on the termination of its relationship with Ms Hamma does not elaborate on these differing views, however, and whether they were in any way related to The Tire Cologne.

Until further notice, Koelnmesse chief executive officer Gerald Böse will assume Ms Hamma’s previous responsibilities. Katharina C. Hamma, previously an authorised signatory at Messe München, was appointed to the management board of Koelnmesse in 2011 to fill the newly created COO position.