GainingEdge Ends Leadership Gap With Jakobsen Hire

GainingEdge named Steen Jakobsen chief executive officer, filling a role that had been vacant for more than a year as the tourism and business events consultancy navigated a leadership transition.

Jakobsen, who once ran Copenhagen’s convention bureau and later oversaw Dubai Business Events for nearly a decade. He left the sector in 2022 to become finance chief at Danish drugmaker Tetra Pharm Technologies. His return comes as GainingEdge seeks to expand its work advising governments and convention centers on attracting international meetings.

The CEO position had been held on an interim basis by senior partner Mike Williams since March 2024. Founder Gary Grimmer led the firm for 15 years before shifting to the role of executive chairman in 2019, and Jon Sivertson ran it until early 2024.

Melbourne-based GainingEdge was founded in 2004. Its clients include the national tourism boards of Malaysia, Japan and South Africa, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Neom and the China National Convention Center in Beijing. The company also manages the BestCities Global Alliance, a network of 13 cities that Grimmer helped create.

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