PCO Association (PCOA) co-founder Peter Sugg has stepped down from his role to spend more time on his own conference management business.

The executive team will now consist of Barry Neame, Karen Sainsbury and Paula Leishman who are supported by PCOA staff Maxine Tod and Cindy Axisa.

“It has been an interesting past decade, participation and support has never been stronger, so it’s the right time to pass the baton on” said Sugg.

“I’m proud of what the Association has achieved and the way cost effective services have been set up and delivered for members.”

“We developed an education and communication model that took advantage of emerging technologies and were the first Association in the Meetings Industry to embrace social media by launching a Weekly Blog, use Webinars for training and meetings, and actively engaging with Facebook and Twitter users.” he said.

President Barry Neame paid tribute to Peter Sugg’s vision and commitment in establishing an Association specifically for Professional Conference and Event managers and people employed in the industry sector.

“Peter can retire in the knowledge that his vision has been realised with a thriving and dynamic association delivering benefits for its members and being a strong contributor to education in the sector ” Neame said.