Leading global tourism and business events consultancy GainingEdge has announced the appointment of Hamish Reid as Director, Business Development and Representation Services, UK and Europe, effective 1 April 2026.
Hamish Reid brings more than 25 years of international experience in sales, marketing and strategic leadership in the business events sector. Known for his pragmatic and commercially focused approach, he has successfully designed and implemented business development strategies for a wide range of global destinations.
His career includes senior leadership roles across both public and private sector organisations. Most recently, he served as Senior Manager, Europe for Dubai Business Events. Prior to this, he held senior roles with Jersey Tourism and also worked in leadership positions within MMGY Global, where he developed and delivered business events strategies for a portfolio of international clients.
GainingEdge CEO, Steen Jakobsen, said that the new appointment strengthens the company’s growing focus on in-market representation and business development services.
“Hamish brings a powerful combination of strategic insight, commercial focus and deep market knowledge,” Steen Jakobsen said. “His ability to connect sales and marketing activity with measurable outcomes aligns strongly with how we support our clients.”
“This appointment is also an important step in our strategy to grow GainingEdge’s portfolio of business development and representation clients across the UK and Europe. Hamish’s experience, network and market credibility will play a key role in accelerating that growth and strengthening our presence in these markets.”
Hamish Reid said he is excited to be joining GainingEdge and contributing to the company’s continued growth: “GainingEdge has built a strong global reputation for delivering high-quality advisory and representation services to destinations and industry stakeholders,” he said. “I am delighted to be joining such a respected team and look forward to supporting international clients in strengthening their presence, driving new business opportunities and delivering measurable results from the UK and European markets.”
Hamish Reid is widely recognised within the industry and has received several professional accolades, including the M&IT Personality of the Year Award and a Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel Marketing PR Award. He has also played an active role in industry development, serving on the SITE Foundation Board of Trustees and as its President.
In his new role, he will focus on expanding GainingEdge’s representation services portfolio across the UK and Europe, with a particular emphasis on business development, lead generation and strategic in-market engagement across both the corporate meetings and association sectors.
