Tefaf Director Dominique Savelkoul leaves after a Year
According to TEFAF, the director and the board were not on the same page regarding the strategic direction to be pursued.
Dominique Savelkoul is the third director in four years leaving TEFAF. Savelkoul was the successor of Bart Drenth. He regularly made political statements on X, which was not appreciated by the TEFAF board. Drenth was the successor of Charlotte van Leerdam, who had to give up her position due to an illness.
Perhaps Dominique Savelkoul's ambitions were too ambitious, given that the position of general manager at TEFAF is considered purely organizational. The board, which is elected by the fair's participants, determines the content of the exhibition.
The resignation of Savelkoul doesn't have any consequences for the upcoming TEFAF Maastricht. "Manon van de Beuken is now leading the team," says Rob van de Wiel, general director of MECC Maastricht.
The current contract between the MECC event venue and TEFAF expires after the 2027 edition. Discussions are currently underway regarding the period after that. Van de Wiel: "There's nothing to indicate that TEFAF wants to let go of Maastricht; the Maastricht Fair is a global institution. And the fair performed very well in 2025, that's what matters. But of course, many cities in Europe want to host such a fair, so we have to remain attentive and think along with them. We can take nothing for granted."
Main Image: Dominique Savelkoul