Clarion appoints James Samuel as Managing Director – Live Events

Image courtesy Clarion

Spanning across three continents, James is responsible for leading the UK’s flagship defence show DSEI UK, as well as DSEI Japan, ITEC, Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) Europe and UDT Australia. He also works in close partnership with the team organising DSEI Germany in Hannover. James will drive growth and connections across the wider DSEI brand and associated defence shows. 

James has built an extensive career managing major international events over two decades. He began his career with Reed Exhibitions in 2001 and has held senior leadership roles at event companies including UBM, Tarsus and GovNet. Since joining Clarion Events in 2019, James has been responsible for the delivery and strategic growth of DSEI Japan. His role was expanded to include UDT in 2025. 

Working with the governments of its host nations in London, Tokyo and now Hannover, each iteration of DSEI brings together the defence ecosystem with a focus on innovation, collaboration and shaping the strategic dialogue to face emerging threats. The creation of this new role unifies leadership across the events and reflects the bridge between the UK and its allied defence markets in Europe, Australia and Japan. Clarion Defence’s global events calendar will provide consecutive opportunities for industry and governments to navigate the pivot toward Euro-Pacific interoperability and broader European rearmament. This is bolstered by the new membership platform and defence news channel, DSEI Gateway. 

DSEI’s recent growth has been shaped by the global strategic context, with allied nations increasing defence expenditure, deepening bilateral defence ties, and co-developing next-generation capabilities. Debuting in Adelaide this year, UDT Australia reinforces the collaboration between AUKUS nations and reflects the rising demand for undersea capabilities and protection of critical subsea infrastructure. 

James Samuel said: “I am delighted to take on the responsibility of fronting DSEI and its family of events at a time when defence and security is at the forefront of the global agenda. As geopolitical priorities continue to shift, Clarion Defence’s role as a leading industry platform is more important than ever. My focus will be on growing DSEI’s footprint in Japan, strengthening the flagship UK event, building ITEC and UDT into the definitive global gatherings for their domains, and working closely with the DSEI Germany and Apex teams to ensure the brand delivers for our customers across every market.”  

Sally de Swart, Managing Director of Clarion Events’ Defence & Security division, said: “James’ appointment reflects the direction of business for Clarion Defence as our footprint grows around the world. The evolution of our offering aligns with the defence market, which is similarly adapting at pace both in terms of technological development and international collaboration. What sets Clarion’s Defence events apart is our work in partnership with the host nations – from the UK to Germany, US, Japan and Australia. James’ experience and leadership in this respect will be instrumental to the successful delivery of our events across the Defence portfolio.”