Messe München Appoints Sasa Stjepanovic as New CIO

<p>Messe München has announced the appointment of a key strategic position: Effective November 1, 2026, Sasa Stjepanovic takes on the role of Senior Director IT / CIO in the Central Operations department. With this step, one of Germany's largest trade fair organizers is responding to the growing importance of digital infrastructures for the industry's core business.</p>

<h2>Strategic Realignment of IT Leadership</h2> <p>The appointment marks a deliberate step by Messe München to make IT responsibility organizationally independent. Until now, the CIO role has been held in a dual capacity by Christian Grodau, Executive Director Operations / COO of Messe München. With the staffing of this independent position, strategic IT governance is to be increasingly focused and professionalized in the future. Sasa Stjepanovic will be part of the Central Operations department and report directly to Christian Grodau.</p> <p>This organizational change demonstrates the importance that digital platforms, data management, and the use of artificial intelligence now have for the success of modern trade fair companies. In a press statement from Messe München, the company states that it wants to anchor IT "even more strongly as a strategic success factor within the company."</p>

<h2>Professional Background of the New CIO</h2> <p>Sasa Stjepanovic brings extensive experience from the energy sector into his new role. Previously, he held senior IT positions at E.On Deutschland for five years, a company that is itself undergoing comprehensive digital transformation processes. This background should prove valuable at Messe München, as trade fair companies increasingly must operate complex digital ecosystems – from ticketing and exhibitor management systems to visitor data platforms and AI-powered services for exhibitors and professional visitors.</p> <p>The transition from the energy sector to the trade fair industry also demonstrates a cross-industry trend: Companies are actively seeking IT executives who already have experience with large-scale digital transformation projects, regardless of their original industry background.</p>

<h3>Significance for the Trade Fair Industry</h3> <p>The staffing of the CIO position at Messe München fits into an industry-wide trend: Trade fair companies are increasingly investing in digital competencies at management level. Given hybrid event formats, data-driven exhibitor matching systems, and growing expectations for digital visitor experiences, the IT function is increasingly becoming an integral part of corporate strategy – no longer merely as a supporting cross-functional role, but as an independent value driver.</p> <p>For Messe München as one of Germany's leading trade fair companies and internationally, the creation of an independent, dedicated CIO position sends a clear signal: Digital topics are to be driven forward in the future with their own strategic agenda and direct decision-making authority, rather than being handled as part of a broader area of responsibility.</p>

<h2>Tasks and Challenges</h2> <p>Sasa Stjepanovic's key responsibilities will likely include further developing Messe München's digital platform landscape. Typically, the following areas of focus are involved:</p> <ul> <li>Expansion and modernization of existing IT systems for exhibitor and visitor management</li> <li>Strategic use of data management to improve event formats</li> <li>Integration of artificial intelligence into operational and strategic processes</li> <li>Ensuring stable and scalable IT infrastructure for international major events</li> </ul> <p>These areas of responsibility are typical for CIO positions in the trade fair industry, as organizers increasingly act as data platform operators and must supplement their physical events with digital services to remain competitive internationally.</p>

<h2>Conclusion and Outlook</h2> <p>With the appointment of Sasa Stjepanovic as CIO, Messe München is sending a clear signal about the strategic importance of IT in the company. The separation of the CIO role from the COO function creates room for a focused digital agenda that addresses the complexity of modern trade fair operations. It remains to be seen which concrete digitalization initiatives will be launched under his leadership in the coming months – particularly with regard to the industry-wide trend toward data-driven and AI-powered event formats. The trade fair industry as a whole will likely follow developments at Messe München closely, as they could be exemplary for the digital transformation of major event organizers.</p>