Andreas Andersen named second vice chairman of IAAPA
By amusementtoday | November 4, 2015
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – The board of directors of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) has elected Andreas Veilstrup Andersen as second vice chairman. Andersen is CEO and president of Liseberg Group in Gothenburg, Sweden. He will be IAAPA’s second vice chairman in 2016, first vice chairman in 2017, and then lead the association as its global chairman of the board in 2018.
“Andreas’ industry knowledge is deep, and he has strong relationships with a number of key leaders worldwide. These attributes, combined with his strong and enthusiastic commitment to the global attractions industry, will make him an excellent leader for IAAPA,” said Roland Mack, managing partner of Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, and chairman of the IAAPA Governance Committee, the member-led group responsible for nominating the second vice chairman to the board of directors.
Andersen has been in the attractions industry since 2001. He was named CEO and president of Liseberg Group in 2011. From 2008 to 2011, Andersen was executive director of IAAPA’s regional office in Europe. In that role he was responsible for membership sales and service, program development, government affairs, and managing the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) conference and trade show.
He served as vice president and chief operating officer of the legendary Tivoli amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 2004 to 2008. From 2002 to 2004, Andersen was executive assistant/company lawyer for Tivoli, where he managed investor relations, strategy development, and legal issues. Andersen started his industry career in a consultancy role as project coordinator at Tivoli.
Prior to joining the industry, Andersen was deputy manager for the Danish Agency for Governmental Management (Ministry of Finance) and principal, case officer for The Mortgage Bank of Denmark (Ministry of Finance).
Andersen has been a member of the IAAPA Board of Directors since 2014, including serving on the Executive and Finance Committee in 2015. He has been the chairman of IAAPA’s European Regional Advisory Committee since 2014 and a member of the committee since 2011. He also served on the association’s Strategic Planning and Nominating (now Governance) Committees. Andersen was the chairman of the IAAPA European Government Relations Subcommittee from 2011 to 2013.
His service to the attractions and tourism industry extends beyond IAAPA. From 2002 through 2004, Andersen was the general secretary of the Association of Danish Amusement Parks and a member of the organization’s national board. He was also active in Europarks; a member of the Counseling Committee for the Wonderful Copenhagen, Regional Tourism Board; and a member of the Regional Board in Copenhagen for the Federation of Danish Industries.
Andersen has a candidatus degree (master’s) in law from Copenhagen University. He also has a bachelor’s degree in financial and accounting management and business administration from Copenhagen Business School.
