ASM Global appoints three leading talents in the Middle East

ASM Global, the global venue management and live-events company, has announced the promotion of three leaders for the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region for ASM Global – Mark Jan Kar, Deb Rogers and Iain Wooldridge.

Mark Jan Kar has been promoted to senior vice president of entertainment, content and programming for the region as well as the general manager of Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Mark first worked at the arena as commercial director in 2018, then leading live entertainment in 2019 and becoming general manager in 2021. Prior to his positions at Coca-Cola Arena, Mark was the vice president of strategic partnerships at International Management Group (IMG), representing some of the biggest names in the world of sport and entertainment.

“The exponential growth and development across the MENA region mean we can harness the power and pure enjoyment of live entertainment and events across this region as a driver of, not only economic growth, but an envious lifestyle,” said Jan Kar.

Deb Rogers’ time with ASM Global began with Suncorp Stadium in 2002 as HR and training manager and since then has included the iconic Burj Al Arab, Qatar National Convention Center, Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai and Exhibition World Bahrain. Rogers has successfully delivered ten pre-openings, many learning & development programmes, onboarded thousands of staff (including 5,000 casual staff for COP-19 in Qatar) and built teams across the region. In her new role Rogers will be responsible for supporting and advising HR business units across Asia and MENA.

“The Middle East is my second home, having lived and worked in Qatar, Oman, Dubai, Bahrain and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the past 15 plus years,” said Rogers. “I see first-hand the life-changing role we play in providing training, employment and local leadership development through our venues.”

Iain Wooldridge is a chief financial officer (CFO) with two decades of experience in financial leadership across the UK and Middle East. He has been finance director of Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai since 2019. Prior to joining ASM Global, Iain held the role of finance director for an International F&B Investment Group during a period of rapid expansion. He has also held a variety of finance and strategic positions across eight years with Universal Pictures in London.

“With so much activity across the Middle East region, ASM Global continues to deliver superior financial outcomes to our partners,” said Wooldridge.

ASM Global (APAC) chairman and CEO Harvey Lister commented: “The combined expertise of these professionals will generate enormous growth across our MENA region which is powerful for the joint success not only of our venues, but for the developing entertainment industry across the region.”