Millennium Exhibition hunts marketing boss

The Millennium Exhibition is searching for a marketing director as it builds up its senior management in preparation for the event in 2000.

The former chief executive of the Welsh Development Agency, Barry Hartop, was this month appointed as chief executive of the exhibition at Greenwich.

A finance director, Thazia Kantor, has also been recruited and Millennium Commission spokesman Mike Elrick says a marketing director will probably be hired before the end of the year.

The Millennium Exhibition company, chaired by British Airways chief executive Robert Ayling, is still short of 150m in funding.

Organisers are now considering whether to spin the event out over two years instead of one, to raise the extra cash (MW October 18).

The bid has been dogged by financial problems – BA came to the rescue earlier this year to help fund the project (MW May 10). It is believed that the cost to develop the former British Gas site in Greenwich for the exhibition could exceed 100m.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine has sought funding for the exhibition since it was awarded to Greenwich in February after a two-way battle with Birmingham.

Heseltine has managed to gain the backing of a number of businesses, including financial institutions such as NatWest Bank (MW June 14).