Stephanie Wagner appointed Global Director of LIGNA

Stephanie Wagner assumed leadership of the newly established LIGNA division within Deutsche Messe AG’s new 'Trade and Consumer Fairs' business unit on August 1, 2026

Stephanie Wagner | Global Director LIGNA

As Global Director of LIGNA, she reports to Hendrik Rawe, who has headed the business unit as Senior Vice President at Deutsche Messe since July 1, 2026. The business unit comprises four divisions and two staff functions.

Following positions at Deloitte & Touche in Düsseldorf, Gehrke econ in Hannover and Sartorius AG in Göttingen, Stephanie began her career in the trade fair industry in 2006 as a project manager for BIOTECHNICA. In 2011, she joined LIGNA, also as a project manager, and in 2021 took over as Head of LIGNA, the world’s leading trade fair for the woodworking and wood processing industry. She also assumed professional leadership of the LIGNA team.

In her new role as Global Director, Stephanie’s responsibilities will expand to include disciplinary management of the team.

The establishment of LIGNA as an independent division further underscores its importance within Deutsche Messe’s overall trade fair portfolio.

“The independent divisional structure reflects LIGNA’s importance and international orientation while also establishing clear responsibilities for its continued strategic and operational development. Stephanie Wagner is the ideal person to lead this division. Her many years of in-depth knowledge of LIGNA, her close ties to the industry and, consequently, to its customers, her strategic and operational expertise, and her understanding of what LIGNA needs for the future make her the perfect choice for this role,” says Hendrik Rawe, Senior Vice President at Deutsche Messe.

The next LIGNA will take place from 10–14 May 2027, at the Hannover Exhibition Grounds. For further information, see www.ligna.de.