The Hot Scots 40: Hans Rissmann, Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Ranking: 27
Hans Rissmann is chief executive at Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). The EICC is owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and operates as an independent commercial venture. The purpose-built conference venue was built to attract more business visitors. Since opening in 1995, more than 980,000 delegates have been through its doors for more than 2,400 events.
Hans Rissmann - Career guide
Hans Rissmann has been involved in the hotel, hospitality and venue management industry for 40 years. During that time, he has held senior posts in UK and international hotel groups, including time at the Heathrow Penta Hotel, which achieved numerous awards under his guidance. In 1993, he became Edinburgh International Conference Centre's first and only chief executive.
Hans Rissmann - What we think
As well as holding down his day job, Rissmann has shown his commitment to improving Scottish hospitality by holding a number of additional directorships, including 10 years as chairman of IIP Scotland through to the end of 2011. During that time, some 3,700 Scottish businesses covering 400,000 employees adopted the standard.
During his tenure at the EICC, the business has delivered more than £360m of economic benefit to Edinburgh and Scotland. Rissmann has also guided the EICC to several prestigious awards, including the EFQM European Quality Award in 2003 - the first purpose-built conference centre in the world to achieve this top business accolade.
In 2012, award wins for the EICC include the sustainability award and the green award at the Scottish Events Awards. It was also given the Investors in People gold award.
He was also awarded the Leisure and Tourism Catey in 1999 and was awarded an honorary OBE for workforce development in 2006.
Always looking ahead, Rissmann is currently overseeing the multimillion-pound expansion of the EICC, set to open in 2013. It includes an extra venue for 2,000 people and is forecast to generate a £2.3b economic benefit in its host economy over 30 years.
