Veteran marketing exec named as Geneva show CEO

Sandro Mesquita, a veteran marketing and communications executive, will be the next CEO of the Geneva auto show. effective May 1. He succeeds Olivier Rihs, who said last November that he would step down March 31 of this year.

This year's Geneva show was canceled on Feb. 28, only a few days before it was due to begin in early March, after the Swiss authorities imposed a ban on gatherings as the coronavirus outbreak spread through Europe. The late cancellation angered exhibitors, who in some cases had spent millions to reserve display space.
 
Mesquita is currently managing director for the advertising company Publicis in Switzerland. Before joining Publicis in 2013, he held marketing and business development positions in telecommunications and energy companies.

Even before this year's cancelation, the Geneva auto show was experimenting with new events and formats to try to ensure its long-term viability. Automakers are increasingly skipping traditional auto shows in favor of managed media events or tech-oriented exhibitions such as CES in Las Vegas.
 
The coronavirus epidemic has led to the cancellation or postponement of major auto shows this year, including New York, Detroit, Paris and Beijing.