Meeting Professionals International on Tuesday appointed as
president and CEO Paul Van Deventer, a former American Express and Walgreens
executive. Van Deventer will assume the role on April 29, according to MPI.
Van Deventer, whose appointment comes nearly 10 months after
the departure of former CEO Bruce MacMillan, spent 22 years at American Express
in several executive roles in travel and corporate card management, including a
stint as senior director of multinational sales and operations, before
departing in 2007. Most recently, he served as a divisional vice president at
drugstore chain Walgreens.
MPI chairman Kevin Hinton, also executive vice president of
Associated Luxury Hotels International, during a Tuesday conference call cited Van
Deventer's "focus on clients and members and his ability to build
engagement," his "ability and skills to build strong relationships
and transform businesses" and his potential as a "compelling
evangelist for MPI" in "the global business community."
As CEO, Van Deventer "will have responsibility for
managing MPI's operating budget, while overseeing all membership programs and
services and working closely with MPI's Board of Directors to guide the
association's vision and industry growth. He will also serve as liaison to the
MPI Foundation, dedicated to advancing the meetings and event profession,"
according to an MPI statement.