Anbu Varathan, part of the UFI presidential ‘Trio’ and who served as the association’s president during 2021, has resigned from the association’s Executive Committee, following its decision to temporarily suspend access to UFI events and activities for Russian members.

In an article on his LinkedIn account, titled ‘Extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary approaches’, Anbu announced his resignation from the EC and said he hoped the Ukraine-Russia conflict ends soon. He is also director general & CEO Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) and Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

Anbu is is the first Indian to have assumed the role of UFI president and has been serving on the UFI Board of Directors since 2011, and as UFI Executive Committee member since 2017.

The UFI Executive Committee is the top body of UFI for making all executive decisions and its extraordinary meeting, convened on 11 March 2022, passed by a majority the  decision to temporarily suspend access to UFI events and activities for representatives from Russian member organisations while calling on the Russian leadership to implement the UN’s resolution.

Anbu, however, has gone public in saying he is “not in agreement with the decision taken by the UFI Executive Committee to punish the Russian exhibition community”. He said UFI “should always stand for the entire exhibition industry and its position should not change even in the Russian-Ukraine conflict. UFI Executive Committee, in its deliberations and decisions on such crucial subjects should be setting high standards,” he said.

Anbu added he strongly supported the approach taken by India urging Vladimir Putin – president of Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – president of Ukraine, NATO leadership and the US president – Joe Biden “to resolve this war and reach peace through dialogue and process of diplomacy”.

Anbu’s post continued: “While greatly appreciating UFI’s efforts in not expelling members from Russia, unlike a few other organisations”, he did not support UFI decision to temporarily suspend access to UFI events and activities for representatives from Russian member businesses.

The UFI decision to punish Russian companies by suspending access would harm mutual “trust” among global exhibition industry players, he said, “which is of most crucial value to the exhibition industry”.

Following Anbu’s decision to resign from the EC, UFI released a short statement announcing that Mary Larkin, president at Diversified Communications USA and UFI president 2020, had been drafted in to re-join the UFI presidential Trio until November 2022.

UFI President Monica Lee-Müller thanked Anbu Varathan for his service to the association, saying: “Anbu stood at the helm of UFI in the midst of the pandemic, putting a special effort into growing UFI’s advocacy work. On behalf of the whole UFI community, I want to thank him for his tireless work.”