Nicole Spencer appointed to FESPA Board

Pledges to focus on signage community and youth engagement

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FESPA
Nicole Spencer. Photo FESPA

Nicole Spencer has been appointed to the Board of FESPA, a global federation of Associations for the screen printing, digital printing and textile printing community. The decision was unanimously endorsed by representatives of FESPA’s national associations at the body’s recent general assembly in Madrid, Spain.

As president of the FESPA UK Association since 2018, Nicole has been instrumental in supporting wide-format digital, textile, industrial and specialist printers in the UK.

In 2020, Nicole became managing director of RMC Digital Print, where she had been Operations director since 2011. Located in Hull, England, the company produces wide format applications for the signage, events, display and set design industries.

FESPA president Christophe Aussenac said, “With over 11 years of direct experience in the speciality print industry, Nicole has been invaluable in diversifying and expanding the range of insight and support the FESPA UK association offered its members over the past five years.”

“As a FESPA Board member, she adds valuable commercial experience from running her own wide format print business, specializing in signage, set design and exhibitions. Her particular focus on signage will help us to ensure that FESPA events and products serve the diverse needs of our worldwide sign making community, and of print businesses expanding into signage services.”

Nicole Spencer said she was delighted to be voted to the FESPA board. “As a FESPA UK member for many years, I found the association’s business support and guidance invaluable, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with FESPA’s member associations. One of my focus areas will be promoting the print industry and attracting young talent, where I hope my previous career experience in recruitment will be advantageous. I also want to apply my knowledge of signage to develop FESPA’s offering in this market and encourage sign companies to join their national FESPA associations.”

Lascelle Barrow has stepped down from his FESPA Board and has been awarded the life-long status of honorary board member, in recognition of his outstanding personal contribution to the development of FESPA and the speciality printing community.

The FESPA Board comprised the following:

  • Christophe Aussenac – President (France)
  • Olaf Skilbred – Vice President (Norway)
  • Christian Duyckaerts – Asia Ambassador (Belgium)
  • Daniel Sunderland – Treasurer & Americas Ambassador (Latin America)
  • Nicole Spencer – (UK)
  • Gyorgy Kovacs (Hungary)
  • Thomas Struckmeier (Germany)
  • Wouter van As (Netherlands)
  • Alberto Masserdotti (Italy)
  • Lascelle Barrow (Honorary Member) 

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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