Business - Appointments

Over the past year, wide format manufacturer Roland DG, has been spearheading a marketing strategy change, with an increasing focus on web and social media marketing. This can be seen in the recent launch of the Roland forum and online Creative Awards competition.

To further develop Roland DG's web marketing strategy, they are now recruiting an Online Content and Academy Training Manager.

This position involves running live training sessions at the Roland DG Academy, as well as developing online videos, blogs and tutorials. It also includes finding new ideas and samples for the Roland Creative Centre, to show customers what is possible with wide format. Plus, the role will involve working with our dealers at open days and at Roland events.

Head of Marketing, Gillian Montanaro states, "This is a really exciting role within print. We are looking for a person who has the unusual combination of technical, creative, social media and sales skills. It could be someone who has run their own print business, comes from a training background, or even a designer who has since moved into the production environment."

For full details of the role please contact gillian.montanaro@rolanddg.co.uk

Manel Martinez has been named as Vice President & General Manager for the HP Graphics Solutions Business in EMEA. He will be responsible for driving HP's graphics arts portfolio from signage and packaging to technical printers and publishing amongst the different printing communities across the region.

Manel brings over two decades of experience in the printing industry in both a worldwide and regional capacity.  His background will enable him to promote and exploit the migration towards digital print amongst the design, branding and marketing communities, demonstrating the power of print as an integral aspect of brand communication.

For the last two years, Manel has been in the role of Vice President and General Manager of the HP Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) in the Iberia Region. He was responsible for optimizing efficiency, effectiveness and critical growth and increased performance across the region.

Prior to this role, Manel was the General Manager of the Large Format Printing design business at a worldwide level. This role included the responsibility for the strategy and direction of the business targeted at both the technical and creative industries. Manel directly managed the design focused teams in Barcelona and Shanghai.

Manel joined HP in 1989 and has held a number of different positions covering overall business group management, R&D and marketing. He has also worked as an engineer developing firmware for Large Format products.

Manel holds a degree in Computer Science from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and a MBA from ESADE in Barcelona.

More information is available at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts or follow HP on www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.

Chun Yip Man has been named as the new Project Manager for Viscom Germany, succeeding Christian Hruschka who is leaving the organisation after 10 years to pursue new professional challenges.

Prior to joining Viscom, Chun Yip Man worked with a Düsseldorf IT company in the logistics sector for more than ten years. As Project Manager, he organised international events.  Most recently, Chun Yip Man was responsible for the company’s marketing and trade fair planning as Manager of International Exhibitions.

At Viscom, Chun Yip Man will take over the management of a trade fair which, since its revamping in 2006, has increased its visitor numbers by 60 percent overall, and its exhibitor numbers by 78 percent. The recent viscom 2011 in Düsseldorf attracted 306 exhibitors and more than 10,000 trade visitors from a number of sectors including advertising technology, light advertising, digital printing, textile finishing, digital signage and display/PoS.

The overall management of viscom düsseldorf and frankfurt will remain in the responsibility of Event Director Petra Lassahn.

Neil Felton, FESPA’s Managing Director of Exhibitions and Events, has been appointed to sit on the Board of the AEO (Association of Event Organisers).

Joining a dynamic group of AEO Board members, Neil was selected alongside Austen Hawkins of F2F Events, Carsten Holm of Diversified Business Communications UK and Phil Soar of Transec Exhibitions at the recent AEO annual general meeting.

Neil Felton comments, “I am honoured to be part of this highly accomplished organisation. AEO has had great success in uniting the industry and represents the leading events organisations from around the world. I hope to bring something different to AEO’s Board by representing a not-for-profit event organiser, however as my background is commercial, I can contribute from both perspectives.”

He continues, “There has been a distinct lack of a marketing voice for the event industry, underlined by the recent success of FaceTime* in such a short space of time. FaceTime’s results are very encouraging, demonstrating what I have always believed in, the power of exhibitions. The face to face interaction visitors are able to have with brands and products at a show can never be underestimated.”

“FESPA is a not-for-profit organisation renowned for creating platforms for our community to share its collective commercial knowledge and wide-format print expertise. As the only organisation on the AEO Board that represents trade associations worldwide, FESPA anticipates that my involvement with the Board will enable our organisation to work with a variety of different people and exhibition organisers in countries where FESPA has no presence currently.”

The AEO Conference 2012 will take place on 13th January 2012 at the Business Design Centre, London.

John Sweeney has been appointed to the Color-Logic advisory Board. Widely known in the printing industry as a champion of standards for publications and colour, Sweeney has an extensive background in bringing new technologies to market. He served as Vice President of Marketing for the Graphic Arts Technology Foundation (GATF) and pioneered the use of online instrumentation for the control of colour and soft proofing technologies. Sweeney sits on several industry standards committees and is an officer of several industry associations.

Announcing the appointment, Color-Logic Chief Technology Officer Richard Ainge comments, “John Sweeney brings Color-Logic many years of experience in the successful implementation of cutting edge technologies in the printing and publishing industries. His experience and counsel will be invaluable in making the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System even more popular and widely accepted than it has already become in the few months since its introduction.”

Sweeney adds, “The Color-Logic technology provides brand managers and owners with the ability to differentiate their packaging, signage, labels, and marketing materials, while continuing to use their current printing and design technologies. Color-Logic is one of the most affordable value-added print technologies any printer or converter can add to their portfolio of printing capabilities and produces a quicker return on investment than virtually any other process enhancement.”

Following its expansion into new regions throughout the world, Dscoop (Digital Solutions Cooperative), the independent global community of HP Graphic Arts customers, has formed a global Board of Directors. This board will bring together leaders from all regions to oversee the actions and events that affect the 6,000 Dscoop members worldwide.

Eric Hawkinson remains the executive director overseeing the global leadership team. The rest of the board is comprises:

• Chairman – Chris Petro, Global Soft Digital Solutions (U.S.)
• Alon Bar-Shany, HP
• Craig Curran, Nosco (U.S.)
• Erwin Koerts, Drukkerij Aeroprint (The Netherlands)
• David Minnett, Group Momentum (Australia)
• Yukinori Okamoto, FIS (Japan)
• Gary Peeling, Precision Printing (U.K.)
• Jan Riecher, HP
• Larry Vaughn, Ideal Printers (U.S.)

“As Dscoop becomes a global organisation, we saw it was imperative to gather leaders from all of our regional committees so high-level decisions could be aligned and implemented throughout the organisation,” Hawkinson said. “In addition, they will drive the education strategy from a global perspective, which each region will be able to tailor for its own needs. This will benefit all of our members, not just on a regional basis.”

Dscoop offers its members education and networking opportunities, including on-demand webinars, online forums, newsletters, annual conferences, online print directory and more.

“We have assembled a world-class team of leaders to guide our future and craft the best user group organisation in the graphic arts industry and in the world,” Petro said. “As an organisation, we are working hard to expand our value to include new ways to network relationships and share worldwide success stories.”