GainingEdge appoints veteran industry leader Steen Jakobsen as CEO.
Global business events and tourism consulting firm GainingEdge has appointed Steen Jakobsen as its new CEO, effective 1 September 2025, who marks a return to the global tourism and business events arena.
Jakobsen, who was most recently CFO of Danish biopharmaceutical company Tetra Pharm Technologies, brings more than 25 years of international experience in the global tourism and business events sector.
He led the Copenhagen Convention Bureau for 14 years before serving as vice president of Dubai Business Events for a decade, where he was instrumental in developing one of the world’s top business events destinations and in establishing the Dubai Association Centre.
Throughout his career, Jakobsen has held leadership roles in major industry bodies, including board chair of the BestCities Global Alliance and vice president of the Board of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In 2024, he received ICCA’s highest honour, the Moises Shuster Award, for his outstanding contributions to the international meetings industry.