Expoships involves the Lesters’ luxury yacht venture SeaFair, which has hitherto not proved as successful as IFAE’s fairs in Palm Beach and Miami.
An irony of the new appointment is that Freya Simms has moved jobs from Clarion Events to IFAE, who are now joint owners of the June Olympia. She played a central role in establishing the new joint venture and will maintain contact with the fair she used to direct.
However, Ms Simms will be based in Florida and will primarily focus on the sales, marketing and administrative areas of both IFAE and Expoships, especially the modern and contemporary art and design sectors.
Lee Ann Lester, principal of both firms, said: “As we grow larger with our recent joint venture in London with Clarion Events and our expanded fair activities this year in Palm Beach and Miami, bringing experienced new executives to our firm is critical for our continued growth.”
Previous to Clarion, Freya Simms worked in PR for a number of London auctioneers.
By David Moss
