25 June, 2015

ICC Sydney welcomes fresh new faces

AEG Ogden has appointed three new directors to the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney).

These appointments complete the expert team that will manage the daily operations of Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and event precinct in the lead up to the December 2016 launch.

The appointments include Malu Barrios as the director of event services, Ivan Sanhueza as the director of technology services and Johnny Naofal as the director of building services.

Barrios has spent over 20 years at director level in the events industry, developing and implementing venue management strategies across a variety of venues throughout Australia. A seasoned AEG Ogden executive, Barrios is currently the general manager of Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island (SEC@GI), which is also managed by AEG Ogden.

Prior to her role at SEC@GI she was gm at the AEG Ogden-managed Darwin Convention Centre, overseeing its launch and ongoing success for five years.

Naofal has over 20 years’ experience as a facilities and operations manager in the service sector. He is currently the facilities manager at SEC@GI. Prior to SEC@GI, Naofal held the position of security manager of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre for thirteen years, working on high profile events such as the APEC Summit and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Barrios and Naofal will continue their management of SEC@GI and support of the exhibition industry at the interim facility. They will be responsible for the seamless transition of the industry’s events to ICC Sydney in December 2016 when the venue will officially launch and will play key roles in the test events that will commission the building from September 2016.

Sanhueza has fifteen years of experience in the ICT space and joins ICC Sydney following his previous role as ICT manager for The Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust (SCGT), which manages the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium.

Here Sanhueza was responsible for implementing a multi-million dollar WIFI and IPTV technology network solution that was the first of its kind in an Australian stadium.

ICC Sydney’s ceo and AEG Ogden’s group director for Convention Centres Geoff Donaghy said they are timely appointments given the excitement leading up to the launch of the new centre.

“I am incredibly proud of our expanding team, each new ICC Sydney team member brings a wealth of experience that will no doubt have an immensely positive impact on the successful management and operation of the venue,” he said.

“At ICC Sydney, it is the calibre of expertise, knowledge and innovative thinking that enables us to deliver world class experiences and best in class events and exhibitions.”

Opening in December 2016, ICC Sydney is hailed as the centrepiece of an AU$3.4 billion transformation of Darling Harbour.

ICC Sydney is an AU$1.5 billion world class development by the NSW Government in partnership with Darling Harbour Live, a consortium comprising of venue manager AEG Ogden, Construction Company Lend Lease as well as Hostplus, Capella Capital and Spotless.

ICC Sydney will employ more than 300 full-time and up to 1500 casual staff when it opens in December 2016.

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