IPIA strengthens leadership team

(L-R) Carter, Ruff and Morley have been voted onto the IPIA Council
(L-R) Carter, Ruff and Morley have been voted onto the IPIA Council

The Independent Print Industry Association (IPIA) has expanded its IPIA Council to 17 members with the addition of a further three industry professionals.

Tim Carter, a director at Ricoh; Matthew Ruff, sales and marketing director at Reliance Worldwide; and John Morley, a director at eProductivity Software (EPS), were recently voted onto the IPIA Council to help steer the organisation and enable it to meet its objectives.

IPIA chairman Graeme Smith said: “2022 marks an incredible year of growth for the IPIA and we’re excited by the energy, insight and diverse knowledge that Tim, Matthew and John bring.

“We’ve set ourselves some ambitious objectives and their input will be especially invaluable moving forward apace in areas like prioritising ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), promoting the value of print as part of a channel mix and encouraging a younger and more diverse workforce into the sector.”

Morley said he sees part of his role within the IPIA as helping members be more successful at promoting print, especially to newer generations where digital is so prevalent.

“Using data to personalise the message is a real priority for print. Digital assets are valuable, but the stats prove that the virtual and physical coming together adds greater value and response, so we need to keep pushing that message further upstream with brands, and I can help do that.”

He will additionally sit on the IPIA Membership committee and Events committee to help increase membership numbers and ensure business value continues to be derived from IPIA events.

Ruff has experience from British Standards Institution (BSI) and of modernising the international mail, e-commerce, and courier industry. With a strong understanding of the challenges of logistics, nationally and internationally, he can support members with implementing relevant technology, transparency, collaboration, and account management.

He has pledged to help grow IPIA membership and bring more diversity from sectors such as process management. He is also keen to support quality management.

“I’m not going audit heavy, just looking at ways to implement and improve, especially in areas like leaving more positive carbon footprints,” he said.

Carter, who has decades of OEM technological know-how, said he supports the IPIA’s focus on maintaining the resilience the industry has shown over recent years and empowering members to make behavioural and cultural changes in the face of technological advances and other competing digital content channels.

“I’m also pretty passionate about the legacy that we, the print industry, leave. I feel we all have a responsibility to promote our sector as dynamic, enjoyable, and fruitful in order to attract and entice younger talent to want to invest their lives in it and make it successful too,” said Carter.

Smith concluded: “The print sector has always faced challenges, but it survives through adaption, knowledge sharing, peer collaboration and finding solutions.

“With Tim, John and Matthew’s strong networks, I see all three proving a real asset in convincing others that we’re stronger together and of the value that being part of an association like the IPIA can bring.”