Meet the Council
Sissi Lignou
CEO, AFEA Congress
Born in Athens, Sissi has more than 20 years of experience in the Meetings & Events Industry. Following her activity at the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (2001-2004), she joined the family-owned business AFEA. She is now the CEO and President of the Board of AFEA Congress, a long-standing PCO in Greece.
In 2021, Sissi was elected to IAPCO Council for a 2-year mandate and re-elected in February 2023. In February 2024, Sissi was nominated and elected IAPCO President-Elect, and is taking over the role of IAPCO President in 2025 for a 2-year mandate.
She has served the Association through various volunteer positions since 2010. She has served Council of Greece’s National Association of PCO’s (HAPCO & DES) since 2007, first as Secretary General and then as the elected President for a 3-year mandate (2022-2025).
"I am truly grateful to be a professional in this industry—one that unites people, fosters knowledge exchange, creates lasting legacies, drives growth, and inspires collaboration.
I am also deeply appreciative of the opportunity to serve our industry in a voluntary capacity alongside incredible professionals—Council Members, Partners, and Administration. Together, we are dedicated to amplifying IAPCO’s influence as the global voice of PCOs in the Meetings and Events Industry, upholding world-class quality. We will continue to advocate for the essential role our profession plays in the global business events landscape and beyond."
Jason Yeh
CEO, GIS Group
Jason Yeh is the Founder and CEO of GIS Group in Taiwan. He currently serves as the Treasurer of IAPCO and the Vice President of the Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association. He looks forward to IAPCO creating a greater impact on the meetings industry while maintaining its distinctive identity and high standards. By attracting new members from different regions, generating new revenue streams and building new business models, the association will achieve stronger financial growth and long-term sustainability.
Ajay Bhojwani
Regional Managing Director-Middle East & Africa, MCI Group
Council Member, IAPCO
Ajay has spent 20+ years in the meetings industry working for brands like Informa and MCI Group. In his current capacity as Regional Managing Director – Middle East and Africa for MCI Group, he looks after an operation spanning over 250+ events annually spread across 20+ countries through 5 offices and nearly 100 talents. And during the pandemic, he also led the major transformation for his team to deliver events digitally followed by hybrid events. Over the 16 years at MCI, he has not only opened new markets with physical offices and teams in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia but also led several large association meetings strategy and supporting them with rotation around the world through government partnerships, tourism endorsements as well as strategic sales & marketing efforts to grow the events year on year.
In addition to his full-time role with MCI, he holds several positions, which include being on the board as a council member for International Association of Professional Conference Organisers (IAPCO) as well as ambassador for The Iceberg – an industry communication publication led by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC). And, he is also the current president for the The Events Group (TEG), a not-for-profit registered organisation bringing event professionals from various facets of the industry in UAE together.
Limor Cunia
Vice President, Clients & Operations, Kenes Group
Council Member, IAPCO
Limor began her career in the events industry in 2006, as an Association Manager, handling several medical associations and after five years she moved to project management organizing medical and scientific congresses around the world. In 2022, Limor joined the management team of Kenes Group as Vice President Clients & Operations.
Limor holds a BA degree from the EBS in London, UK.
“The meetings industry is constantly evolving, and I believe creativity, collaboration, and excellence are key to its continued success. IAPCO plays a vital role in setting standards and fostering professional growth. As a Council Member, I am proud to contribute to its mission, ensuring our industry remains dynamic, high-quality, and forward-thinking.”
Ellen Franck – IAPCO Council
Partner, Meetagain
Ellen Franck is a Partner and Key Account Manager at Meetagain, a Stockholm-based PCO, where she focuses on strategy and operations. With a background in digital marketing and public relations in the U.S., she is passionate about innovation, industry leadership, and women’s entrepreneurship.
“IAPCO plays a critical role in shaping the future of the meetings industry. As a Council Member, I see my role as ensuring that we engage all members in a meaningful way—creating stronger connections between PCOs, fostering knowledge-sharing, and making IAPCO’s value more tangible to the entire community. The meetings industry is evolving, and our challenge is to stay ahead by embracing new ways of working while ensuring we stay true to the core of IAPCOs mission.”
Stephen Noble
Manager (APAC), The Conference Company
Stephen Noble is Manager Asia Pacific at The Conference Company, where he is member of the senior management team. Stephen joined The Conference Company in New Zealand in 2007 and in 2017 moved to Sydney, where he is now based leading company operations in Australia and Asia.
In addition to his role at The Conference Company, he serves as the Chair of the IAPCO Training Academy and is a member of the IAPCO Council. Reflecting on his involvement with IAPCO, Stephen emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and knowledge sharing within the meetings industry. As Chair of the Training Academy, he is committed to providing high-quality education and training opportunities for industry professionals, aiming to elevate global standards in congress and event management. Stephen believes that through collective efforts and embracing innovation, the meetings industry can continue to thrive and adapt to changing global dynamics.
Jimena Ruiz
Chief of Staff, BTC Americas
Council, IAPCO
Chair, National PCO Assoc. Task Force
As a professional with 17 years of experience in the business events industry, Jimena Ruiz has dedicated most of her career to event planning as a PCO for international conferences and product development. She has gathered all the resources necessary for strategic priorities, integrating cross-functional collaboration across various departments and teams to ensure alignment and coordination on key initiatives.
“As a forward-thinking individual with a vision for the future of the congress organisation industry, I am passionate about embracing innovation and exploring new trends and technologies that can enhance quality and effectiveness. I believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork to foster a culture to ignite our industry path.”
Nicola Testai
CEO, OIC Group
Council Member, IAPCO
Nicola Testai's professional journey began in the textile industry in Tuscany. Several years ago, he made a significant career shift into the Meetings Industry, entering a whole new world that he now feels deeply integrated into.
Currently serving as the CEO of OIC Group, one of Italy's oldest PCOs, Nicola Testai has undertaken various initiatives to strengthen the organisation's standing. Upon assuming the CEO role, one of his first actions was to reinstate OIC Group's membership in IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers).
"My role in IAPCO is to chair the Destination Partnerships, and it’s a pleasure to be part of this group and see how it has developed and grown over the years. IAPCO means a lot to me; it is, as many say, ‘a family,’ and I’m privileged to be on the Council, a family within the family. IAPCO has a pivotal role to play worldwide in the meetings industry—a unique and valuable role for all its members and partners. It is exciting to see the new projects and ideas on the horizon, how they will unfold, and how they will add further value to our association, taking it into the next chapters of its future."
Giulia Sarri
Head of Service Design, AIM Communication
Co-opted Council Member, IAPCO
Giulia has been active in the Meetings Industry since she was 17. She worked as a hostess at congresses and events during her school and university years and later graduated with merit for a thesis on the German Meetings Industry's approach to sustainability. Her passion for the industry led her to gain a year of experience at a small DMC and event management company in Milan, where she assisted the team with organising VIP weddings, corporate events, and leisure travel. Following that, she joined AIM Group International, a leading global company in the organisation of congresses, events, and communication. She initially assisted the Marketing & Sales division while learning Corporate Communication skills on the job. Four years later, she joined the team at AIM Communication, the open innovation network of the Group, which was born during the pandemic. After becoming a Creative Strategist with the aim of creating innovative and valuable projects for associations, pharma companies, and corporations, she now serves as the Head of Service Design and Sales, leading a small team.
Giulia was also a recipient of the PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) 20InTheirTwenties Class of 2019 Recognition and was the winner of the first IAPCO Hero Award in 2019.
She served as a Board Member for PCMA EMEA, and today she is a Co-Opted Council Member at IAPCO, representing the Next Gen.
"When thinking of the evolution of the meetings industry, I envision a future ripe with potential for agencies that prioritize custom content, sentiment analysis, experience design and predictive participation as key offerings to their clients. Data, technology, and innovation are our tools for making impactful strides in this area, and IAPCO has consistently led the charge in empowering agencies to expand and refine their services and solutions. IAPCO stands as the ideal platform to dissect, study, and provide its members with cutting-edge solutions to stay ahead of trends, conquer challenges, and continuously set higher standards."
Roles and Responsibilities of the IAPCO Council
The work of the Council is to administer the Association, to ensure that the quality standards as set are maintained, to serve the members and to guide IAPCO as the leading authority on professional congress organisation worldwide. Furthermore the Council is responsible for ensuring that IAPCO fulfils its responsibilities in accordance with the Statutes in a professional manner and in accordance with the laws of the land, and operates in a business-like and financially viable manner.
Our team is here to help!
Contact us if you have any queries.
