25 May, 2020

MCEC appoints Helen Fairclough as director of business relaunch

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has announced the appointment of Helen Fairclough in a new future-focused role.

Formerly acting chief operations officer, and prior to that director of people, culture and improvement at MCEC, Helen Fairclough has been with the organisation for close to six years and is a board member of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In her new role, Fairclough will “guide the business through a process that looks at every aspect of what we do well, what we could do better and what we have never done before, but may be able to do in the new world,” according to MCEC chief executive Peter King.

“Through this process, we will be living our values of courage and curiosity, and I’ve given Helen the licence to be unrestrained in what we explore as a business,” King said.

It comes as MCEC begins turning its focus to the future to ensure its business is set up for ongoing success after the COVID-19 pandemic.

MCEC is a major contributor to Victoria’s economy, with more than $1 billion in economic impact last year alone. It is now starting work to transform its business as a driver in the state’s economic recovery.

This includes exploring new business models, products and revenue streams across local, national and international markets.

Fairclough said she was excited to take on the interim role and build on her experience and learnings from previous roles within the business.

“My remit is to ensure we take advantage of this rare opportunity to pause and reflect, so we can position MCEC at the forefront of the industry when we make it to the other side of the pandemic,” she said.

“This will include exploring new revenue streams, new business models and new initiatives to positively disrupt the sector.”

While the business relaunch is in early stages of exploration, MCEC will be inviting customers and partners across the industry to collaborate in the coming months.

“This is an exciting time to navigate through the change ahead. Even when MCEC is able to reopen its doors, we must accept that the world has and will continue to change,” Fairclough said.

For this reason, MCEC must change too. We hope to have many updates to share with you about new projects and initiatives over the coming months.

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Helen Fairclough MCEC Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre