GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH has announced that Susann Seidemann will take over the management of iba with immediate effect. Seidemann is thus director of iba and responsible for the future and development of the world's trade fair for the baking and confectionery industry. In her new role, she reports to Cathleen Kabashi, who is taking on new tasks within GHM as the director business unit B2B trade fairs.

Industry knowledge and digital know-how expert

With Susann Seidemann, GHM will have an experienced trade fair and digital expert. She possesses over 10 years of experience in sales, market analysis, virtual events and B2B and B2C project coordination. As Head of Media Sales at a well-known media agency, she contributed significantly to the success of various projects in the trade fair industry, including electronica and iba. Susann Seidemann has a clear perspective of the challenges that lie ahead: "I am looking forward to the entire baking industry and especially to the trusted collaboration with the German Bakers' Confederation. It is my ambition to further develop the brand iba, which is strongly established on the market, to introduce new changes and to make virtual components even more digitally-tangible in the future. My particular focus will continue to be on the live event: In 2023, we will finally offer the long-awaited reunion for the entire family of the global baking industry with an iba in Munich. We will provide the market an iba that sets new standards for the baking world, with the clear goal of being an international business platform for experts—because there is no substitute for personal face-to-face interaction.”

Economic engine and platform for the future: Focus on synergies

With the handover of the baton, Cathleen Kabashi is devoting herself to new tasks as director business unit B2B trade fairs, following an internal reorganization at GHM. As exhibition manager and head of iba since 2007, she has made a significant contribution to the development and internationalization of the trade fair, which consistently shows itself to be an economic driver for the industry. Most recently, she successfully implemented the virtual knowledge and networking event iba.Connecting Experts in March 2021, thus setting a milestone in the baking industry in collaboration with her team. Cathleen Kabashi on her role as director business unit B2B trade fairs: "I am looking forward to new challenges and would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire industry once again for the cordiality and the valuable business relationships. The iba universe will remain part of my work in the future. My goal is, among other things, to further develop iba in line with the market and to create synergies in order to offer a central and professional future platform for the global exchange of experts and a stage for product premieres and innovations."

Michael Wippler, president of the German Bakers' Confederation says: "First of all, we would like to thank Cathleen Kabashi for her strategic foresight and commitment to iba over the past few years. With her, we have managed to travel from Düsseldorf to Munich and around the globe to develop and establish iba as a world trade fair. Keeping an eye on what is to come: the needs of the market. At the same time, we are looking forward to working with Susann Seidemann and congratulate her on becoming the new head of iba. With her expertise, she will lead iba into a successful future."