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News December 19, 2024

PPAI Names Drew Holmgreen Chief Executive Officer

Holmgreen most recently was chief experience officer of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

By  Christopher Ruvo

Key Takeaways

• New Leader: Drew Holmgreen has been appointed as the new CEO of PPAI, starting Jan. 10, 2025.

• Background: Holmgreen brings 25 years of experience, including roles at Meeting Professionals International (MPI), to lead PPAI.

Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has found its new top executive.

The industry trade association announced on Dec. 19 that it has hired Drew Holmgreen as its next chief executive officer.

Drew Holmgreen, PPAI

Holmgreen comes to PPAI from Meeting Professionals International (MPI), an association for meeting and events professionals, where he held positions of increasing responsibility over seven years, rising from senior director of marketing and communications to, most recently, chief experience officer. As chief experience officer, he managed global strategies, enhanced member experiences and drove revenue growth, PPAI said.

“I am truly honored to join and lead PPAI,” said Holmgreen. “This industry and its community thrive on creating moments of connection and joy, and I’m excited to work alongside the talented PPAI team, its members and partners to build on this strong foundation.”

Overall, Holmgreen has about 25 years of career experience, with much of that time spent in roles in the marketing and advertising world, including positions such as management supervisor at TM Advertising and vice president/account service director at Belmont Icehouse.

“Drew is a visionary leader with a deep understanding of the dynamics of member-driven organizations,” said Andrew Spellman, chair of the PPAI Board of Directors and vice president of corporate markets for Therabody (asi/91104). “His experience and passion for innovation make him uniquely suited to lead PPAI and create value for our members and the industry as a whole.”

Holmgreen officially starts at PPAI on Jan. 10, 2025. He’ll be present at the organization’s PPAI Expo 2025.

Holmgreen succeeds Dale Denham as CEO of PPAI. Denham, a promo industry veteran, had a three-year run as president/CEO of the 121-year-old organization that ended this summer. Another promo veteran, Dawn Olds, had been serving as interim president/CEO. Denham has since been named CEO of eXtendTech, a firm that provides software solutions integrated with NetSuite, focusing on the applications of such tools in the promo vertical and other industries.