Change of baton in the far north: Dr Helena Melnikov will hand over the management of the “Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse” to Jeanette Gonnermann on 1 September 2021. The fact that the two industry professionals get along very well and are looking forward to their respective new tasks was more than visible at the joint closing ceremony in Hamburg’s Hafencity last week (in the picture above: J. Gonnermann left). We from the south, Paul M. Müller GmbH (Munich), do not want to be left behind and wish them both “toi, toi, toi” for their new challenges. After more than seven successful years on the Elbe, Helena Melnikov is moving to the Federal Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics in Eschborn near Frankfurt as Managing Director.

“I look back on a great and exciting time in which I was able to change and initiate a lot,” says Melnikov. “I think the Waren-Verein is in a very good position and is extremely attractive, so we were able to attract someone like Ms Gonnermann to succeed me. The last one and a half years have shown that association work is not only based on information. Of course, that also means added value through a knowledge advantage, but it is also increasingly about community and platform.” And the Waren-Verein offers both to its members to a proven degree, explains Melnikov. The digital push has brought a lot of good, but direct personal exchange is still needed. “I’m sure my successor will continue this tradition.” Jeanette Gonnermann is a fully qualified lawyer and proven trade expert with many years of international experience. A detailed interview with the new WV Managing Director will be published in the next PMM Market Report.