Print.IT Reseller - issue 84

01732 759725 22 PRINT IT AWARDS 2021 We’re delighted to introduce the rest of the Print IT Awards 2021 judges, and here’s a reminder of the award categories – remember you have until July 30 to submit your entry Meet the judges: Part Two a marketing professional on a project by project basis, who would become an extension of their team; really getting under the skin of the business and working with its leaders to create powerful marketing strategies that would ultimately increase growth and sales, whilst giving them the flexibility to bring in expertise and huge industry knowledge when and where necessary. She has worked with a range of key manufacturers, including Canon, Ricoh and Apple; resellers – large and small – as well as software vendors working within the print, finishing and solutions arena. Covering projects from value propositions, campaign management, digital marketing, social media strategies and lead generation. www.55connect.co.uk Julian Stafford, Former Managing Director, Midshire Having been in print for most of his career, Julian is a valuable addition to the judging panel. He began his career as Dealer Manager for Riso where he rose through the ranks to become National Sales Manager. In 1997, he left Riso to set-up Midshire with friends Phil Powell and Kevin Tunley. Phil ran the Birmingham operation, while Julian headed up the northern division, which provided him with the opportunity to move back to his native Stockport. Midshire was Riso’s biggest dealer in Europe and was a major reseller for many OEMs including Panasonic, Ricoh, Toshiba and Sharp, the business also partnered with HP and Lexmark for A4 printers. Prior to an acquisition by Sharp in 2017, the business’ annual turnover was c£35 million. Julian agreed to stay on and lead the business while it continued to operate as an independent organisation. By November 2019, Midshire had become fully integrated with Sharp’s direct operation, and Julian decided the time was right to retire and pursue other interests. He is currently mentoring a number of SMEs, helping them to achieve strategic business goals; remains active in the commercial and residential property sectors; enjoying spending time with his family and travelling. Darren Lewitt, Former Director, Midwich Darren began his career with the RAF, where he gained a lot of self-discipline and learnt team ethics, skills he took with him to the business world when he joined what was then a small IT distributor – Midwich. Darren worked his way up to become a director and owner of the newly Ian Birch, Managing Director, IBC Group With 20 years’ experience in IT services, Ian founded IBC Group, offering fully independent consultancy services. In Ian’s career, he’s worked with a number of OEMs, including Ricoh and Kyocera, and most recently as Head of Digital Transformation at Xerox. IBC Group has supported a wide range of OEM vendors, channel partners and end clients since launching, with a focus on data insight, process automation and regulatory compliance services. Recognising the challenges facing traditional managed print service providers, Ian has set out to support the transformation of their business models to meet changing client needs, delivering solutions which positively impact the way end-clients work, drive deeper relationships and increase resilience to competitor enquiries. www.ibcg.co.uk Sofia Dahlqvist, Director, 55 Connect Ltd Sofia is a leading marketing consultant with extensive experience in print, finishing, IT and software solutions. As an independent marketing consultant with over 20 years’ experience, Sofia brings a wealth of know-how in building bespoke marketing strategies and campaigns within the print and imaging industry. Sofia identified a gap in the market to provide a highly personalised service, whereby businesses could hire HEADL INE SPONSOR KEY DATES ENTRIES NOW OPEN Final entry deadline 30 July (5pm) Shortlist announced 14 September Awards Dinner 7 December Ian Birch Darren Lewitt Sofia Dahlqvist Julian Stafford