There have been a number of appointments and promotions in recent months showing that the industry really doesn’t ever stand still. We highlight some of the new career moves in print.
First up and Walstead Group has appointed Neil Johnson as Group chief finance officer and board director following the departure of Julian Rothwell.
Johnson, Group chief finance officer and board director of Walstead Group
The company, which is Europe’s largest web offset printing business, conducted an extensive search across Europe for the replacement role and was seeking a candidate with significant international experience.
Johnson has over 30 years of experience in finance, operations, systems, and accounting and was Group GFO for Sparrows Offshore Services Group from 2014 to 2023.
Paul Utting, Walstead’s chief executive officer, comments: “Neil is a seasoned professional with an accomplished and distinguished finance career and has demonstrated successes in key financial and operational disciplines required of a world-class CFO.”
Mark Scanlon, Walstead’s Chairman, adds: “We are sad to see Julian leave after six years of impeccable service.”
Senior management announcements have also been made by DS Smith, Precision Colour Printing, and James
Cropper with all three companies appointing new managing directors.
Paul Clarke, managing director of DS Smiths’ UK and Ireland Packaging Division
Over at packaging company DS Smith and Paul Clarke has been appointed as managing director within the UK and Ireland’s Packaging Division.
Clarke was formerly operations director for the Packaging Division and will work to improve collaborative structures across DS Smith. In addition, Clarke will work closely with customers to develop changing solutions with bespoke packaging and product development.
“I am delighted to be appointed to this new role and for the opportunity to contribute to spearheading the DS Smith agenda, with our commitment to developing and redefining packaging solutions for customers worldwide and a focus on sustainable ventures and innovation.
“We need to close the loop through better design, protect the environment by making the most of every fibre, and reduce waste and resources through circular appointments and careful strategic delivery of each and every new product.”
Nick Evans, managing director of Precision Colour Printing
Nick Evans has moved from the role of commercial director to managing director of Precision Colour Printing (PCP).
A passionate advocate of the company, Evans joined the company as commercial manager in 2014 and later took on the role of commercial director in 2016.
“I am delighted to be appointed managing director of PCP,” Evans comments, adding: “Despite the challenging market conditions we’ve all faced in recent years, it’s great being able to continue serving our fantastic customer base while retaining the ethics of a family business, which we still are.”
Richard Bracewell, managing director for Paper Products at James Cropper
James Cropper has named Richard Bracewell as its new managing director for Paper Products with Bracewell responsible for the Creative Papers and Luxury Packaging sectors.
Bracewell most recently served as the business transformation lead for Specialiy Paper at James Cropper where he was instrumental in repositioning the organisation to ensure long-term differentiation and market competitiveness.
Prior to joining James Cropper as marketing director in 2017, Bracewell held senior leadership positions at Shell.
Steve Adams, chief executive officer of James Cropper, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Richard Bracewell as our new managing director for Paper Products. His leadership, expertise, and deep understanding of our business will undoubtedly drive us towards greater achievements.”
Over at Ricoh UK and the company has announced Glenn Griggs as its new chief executive officer. Griggs succeeds Phil Keoghan who was promoted to lead Ricoh Northern Europe in April last year.
Griggs previously held the position of Board Director of Sales, leading a team of 250 Ricoh sales employees across the UK. In this role, he played a pivotal part in steering the business’ transition to a digital services company across multiple divisions and service offerings.
Nicola Downing, chief executive officer of Ricoh Europe, comments: “I’d personally like to thank Phil for his committed and successful stewardship as CEO of Ricoh UK and Ireland, and wish him well in his new role within the Northern European region.
“Glenn has a wealth of experience and brings with him a strong vision and history of driving growth. I look forward to working with Glenn and his team to continue driving our people-first approach across all areas of our business.”
Reporting to Phil Keoghan, Ricoh Ireland will continue to be overseen by managing director Gary Hopwood.
Nick Macfarlane, regional sales representative for UK and Ireland at Inkcups
Moving onto sales roles now and Inkcups Europe has announced the addition of a new direct salesperson in the UK and Ireland.
The news further strengthens the company’s commitment to providing dedicated localised support in Europe as part of its growth.
Nick Macfarlane has been named as the company’s new regional sales representative for UK and Ireland bringing with him years of print industry sales experience. This experience includes playing a key role in expanding the direct-to-garment business unit at Ricoh UK, and growing the existing UK customer base at Kornit Digital.
In his new role, Macfarlane will be responsible for growing Inkcup’s UK and Ireland customer base as well as developing and supporting distributors in strategic regions.
Bobby Grauf, managing director of Inkcups Europe, says: “Inkcups’ strategic growth plans for Europe are well underway and the addition of Nick Macfarlane to our thriving European team is further evidence of that.
“We are thrilled to be strengthening the support and service we provide in the UK and Ireland and are delighted to have an experienced and results-driven salesperson like Nick serving an important region for Inkcups Europe.”
Lawrence Geere, OEM sales manager for EMEA at Global Graphics Software
Over at Global Graphics Software (a Hybrid Software Group company) and Lawrence Geere has been named as the new OEM sales manager for EMEA.
Geere brings with him over 30 years of industry experience and will work closely with the company’s OEM customers to enable them to maximise the potential of the rapidly evolving digital inkjet market.
For the past 12 years, Geere has worked for HP, firstly with HP Indigo as a service segment manager for the EMEA region, but most recently as a strategic account manager for the EMEA region where he was responsible for HP’s largest global accounts in the labels and packaging sector.
“I am excited to join Global Graphics Software at a time when its AI-enabled Digital Front End, SmartDFE is gaining momentum,” Geere says. “Hybrid Software Group is a major player in the workflow software market and I’m looking forward to being part of the company’s growth.”
Greere will report to Justin Bailey, managing director of Global Graphics Software.
Bailey adds: “We are delighted to welcome Lawrence to the team. With his blend of technical and commercial background, he is the ideal person to help our OEM customers and prospects navigate the challenges they will face as the digital inkjet market expands into smart factories, where printing of variable data content at high speed has become increasingly important.”
Thomas Guerriero, CSR customer manager of Domino Printing Sciences
Next up is Domino Printing Sciences with the company having announced the appointment of Thomas Guerriero as the Group’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) customer manager. This is a new role that has been created to help customers achieve their sustainability goals.
Guerriero will work alongside Domino’s customer base to identify CSR targets and set goals for reducing production waste and improving their environmental performance.
“Organisations worldwide are feeling the pressure of becoming more CRS and sustainability orientated and this naturally includes a variety of topics such as doing more for our people and our society,” Guerriero says.
A key focus of the new role will be working with Domino’s sales channels to ensure they are trained and have the resources they need to identify and develop sustainable growth opportunities for the company and its customers. This includes progressing its EcoVadis and Sedex accreditation roadmaps.
Peter Clitheroe, elections project manager at FDM
Peter Clitheroe has been appointed elections project manager at print and mail company, FDM having previously served as democratic services manager at Adare.
As well as having over 25 years’ experience working for UK customer communications management companies, Clitheroe also holds the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) certificate in Electoral Administration.
“I have experience of working with some of the senior leadership team members at FDM, so having the opportunity to do so again really appealed to me,” Clitheroe explains. “Knowing the team here are all working towards the same goal makes a huge difference.
“I’ve worked in election services solutions for years now and want to use that knowledge to extend the partnerships we have.”
Kathryn Scott, HR director of Canon
And finally, Canon has appointed Kathryn Scott as its new HR director responsible for driving forward the company’s people vision based on diversity and inclusion and helping the business realise its mid-term growth ambitions.
Scott has built her experience across a number of sectors including telecoms, entertainment, and technology and has extensive experience partnering with CEOs and business leaders to support teams.
Dedicated to delivering a range of people development programmes including DE&I initiatives, Scott has previously held roles at Cisco, Imimobile, Antenna International, and Sky and T-Mobile.
In addition to this, Scott holds a MSc in Human Resource Management; is a Chartered Member of the Institute for Personnel & Development (MCIPD); and holds accreditations in coaching, counselling, and psychometric testing.
“Canon has a solid foundation of great HP initiatives and is clearly achieving business goals as a result of great teamwork,” Scott comments. “I am looking forward to working with my team and all the people leaders to nurture the talent we have. It’s an exciting time to join Canon, and I am optimistic about what we can achieve together for our employees.”
If you have any news, please email carys@linkpublishing.co.uk or join in with the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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