Goodbye
Joerg Schomburg,
Mr CeBIT
The
Man Who Put
India
on the Global
IT Map
He
loved elephants.
An avid collector
of elephant
artifacts in
any size and
material –
except ivory.
Wore mostly
ties with elephant
designs. He
even owned a
live elephant
for one day
in India –
which happened
to be his birth
day present
from Indian
friends. Proudly
he rode the
elephant to
the fair ground
in New Delhi.
Loved Indian
food. Never
returned from
India without
feasting on
Dal Bukhara
at Maurya Sheraton.
An admirer of
India, who recognized
India’s
potential in
IT much earlier
than many others
and gave India
the honour to
be the first
‘Partner
Country’
at CeBIT –
the world’s
leading trade
fair for information
technology way
back in 1989.
India was then
projected globally
as an IT nation,
the stature
that India has
now out grown
to be the IT
Power. Gifted
with a good
of sense of
humor he established
instant rapport
with whoever
he came across.
During his several
visits to India
he won many
friends in Indian
IT industry,
media and Government
officials.
That was Joerg
Schomburg, Managing
Director, CeBIT
Events at Deutsche
Messe AG ( DMAG),
Hannover, Germany
who passed
away after a
brief illness
on 27th July
2006 at the
age of 62. Joining
Deutsche Messe
AG in 1979,
Schomburg played
a pivotal role
in transforming
CeBIT, what
was once only
a small sub-section
of the Hannover
Fair, into the
world’s
largest and
most renowned
fair for the
IT and telecommunications
industries.
For his tremendous
zeal in building
CeBIT to be
globally the
topmost ICT
event, Schomburg
was widely referred
to as “Mr.
CeBIT”
even well
beyond ICT circles.
To take the
success and
popularity of
CeBIT to other
destinations
besides Hannover,
when DMAG decided
to launch CeBIT
events in Australia,
Turkey and China,
Schomburg was
the force behind
CeBIT’s
global expansion.
Traveling widely
in India for
over two decades,
Mr Schomburg
created awareness
among Indian
industries for
participation
in international
fairs like Hannover
Messe and CeBIT.
After the success
of ‘Partner
Country India’
in 1989 he always
had a special
attraction for
Indian ICT industry
and he took
keen interest
in mentoring
its rapid development.
Closely connected
with ICT industry
form over 60
countries participating
at CeBIT, Shomburg
was truly a
global personality.
His untimely
and sudden death
is indeed a
loss not only
for DMAG and
CeBIT but for
the global ICT
industry. 1943
Born in Stadthagen,
West Germany
on 8 September
• 1964
Graduation from
high school
with university
entrance qualification
Helmstedt
• 1964
– 1967
Military service
in the German
Airforce (last
rank: Captain)
• 1967
– 1972
Studied towards
degree in Business
Economics at
Georg-August
University in
Göttingen
• 1972
Graduated Bachelor
of Business
Economics
• 1972
– 1979
Worked with
Kabelmetal,
Hannover
• 1979
Joined Deutsche
Messe AG as
Project Manager
for the Hannover
Fair and CeBIT
• 1984
Appointment
to the board
of directors
with full power
of attorney,
Managing Director
for CeBIT, International
Trade fair for
Information
Technology,
Telecommunications,
Software and
Services.
Since 1999 Managing
Director for
CeBIT Events
Worldwide (Hannover,
Istanbul, Long
Beach, Shanghai,
Sydney)
Other activities:Since
1999 Vice Chairman
of the European
Information
Technology Observatory
(EITO), Frankfurt
Since 1999 Chairman
of HANNOVER
FAIRS –
INTERPRO FUARCILIK
A.S., Istanbul
