What's at the top of your Christmas wish list?
Two great books. A family photo book and a fabulous coffee table edition, all printed and designed in the UK.
What trend do you think 2013 will be remembered for?
The fabulous innovative products that are coming out particularly in the labels and packaging sectors.
What do you think represents the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2014?
To make hay whilst the pre-election sun shines. The optimism bubble will roll on during 2014. It's our opportunity to get alongside our customers and work with them on added value solutions that will both harness the short-term rainbow and create closer bonds if times turn tough.
What do you think will represent the single biggest threat for printers in 2014 and why?
That we continue to price work at unsustainable levels. There is little respect for a sustainable supply chain and all of its related stakeholders. Someone might take a starring role in creating significant savings in say, a raw material price, or a process improvement, only to have it given away to the customer. All that has been achieved then is reducing the investment capability within the industry.
What is the one thing that the industry should do more of?
Promoting our integrated innovative capabilities - to do it really effectively we have to work as a skilled consortium.
We have it all within our industry's skill set, data management, process flows, design, fantastic products capable of brilliant targeting. We just have to believe in ourselves and get together to stimulate the market. It's all about knowledge transfer and networking.
What was your highlight?
Absolutely the £1m plus Graduate Management Programme bid win and launch. To have 200-plus young managers working together has been just brilliant.
What are your hopes for 2014?
That we can launch a level-seven programme to faciltate industry development looking at strategic business development, alternative financing models and inter-industry cooperation. Watch this space!
What was the most important thing that you learned in 2013?
You have to be bold and go for it...
What will you do differently in 2014?
Lots!
