Industry veteran Peter Clark has been elected the new president of the Print & Visual Communication Association (PVCA), replacing Walter Kuhn who is now the vice president of the organisation which was previously known as the Printing Industries Association of Australia.

Another industry veteran, South Australia’s Peter Lane, a previous board member, is also making a return to the board for 2021, with Kwik Kopy Circular Quay director Nick Tuit (NSW) a new addition to the board. John Georgantzakos (ACT), managing director of Spotpress, continues as Honorary Treasurer, with Stuart Fysh (WA) Honorary Secretary.

Other board members include: Tom Eckersley (Qld), owner of Eckersley Print Group; Kevin Pidgeon (Vic), managing director of Lithocraft, Martin Guilliamse (Tas) from Mark Media.

Kuhn told Sprinter it has been a pleasure to give back to the industry during his time as president, and looks forward to continuing to do so as vice president, adding the move is part of a succession plan for the association going forward.

“This industry has been so good to a lot of people and I feel it is important to give back to the industry,” he said.

“We’ve got a bit of a reverse succession plan so we don’t lose our knowledge. I will step into the role of vice for a year or so and then we will bring someone in to the vice role and then that person can step up to president.”

Clark, from Tasmania, is a previous PIAA board member and is now returning as president.

His career began as an apprentice lithographic platemaker and printer at Cox Kay Print in before moving to Melbourne in 1978. In the early 1990s he joined News Limited’s Commercial Division which became PMP. He left there in 2000 and established AIW Printing with a group of partners, retiring in 2012. During his career he also worked at Visyboard and Pratt Industries.

He is a current Director and Trustee of Media Super Ltd, and a board member of PacPrint21.

Kuhn said Clark’s immense experience will bring great value to the association.

“Peter has an incredibly high level of knowledge of the industry. He started off in a small business and he’s worked in larger operations and he had a pretty big heatset operation. He understands the industry. He is very level headed and a calming sort of person and is very thought processed. I think he will add a lot of knowledge and depth in the position,” Kuhn said.

Clark said the printing industry has given him great opportunities in life and he is pleased to be taking on the role of president.

“I had a fantastic time in the printing industry and was able to travel to most countries in the world in the business, including working in Europe and New Zealand and America so it is nice to be able to continue on in the industry. The ink is the blood that flows in my veins,” Clark told Sprinter.

Clark said the immediate priority is helping members as they navigate COVID and related staff absenteeism, as well as supply chain issues.

“Another major concern which is more ongoing is the supply situation with the paper and ink, and this is an issue for conventional and digital businesses, they are all experiencing huge price rises and uncertainty of delivery and these supplies are a major cost for any print business,” Clark said.

“Secondly we will be talking to the membership about how they are viewing the organisation currently and making sure we are relevant. The PVCA has been through quite a large reformation. Walter as president has done a terrific job in focusing it back towards the members and I would like to pay homage to Walter for the great job he has done, whilst running a very busy print business himself. He has put a lot of time and effort into that.”

This year the PVCA launched a ‘Focus’ webinar series for members, held on the first Tuesday of each month. Members seeking information about the series and upcoming guests should visit https://www.pvca.org.au/.

The previous CEO of the PVCA, Andrew Macaulay, left in May last year and is now the Chairman of a new national body to advocate for grassfed cattle producers, with a replacement yet to be announced for the executive role in the organisation.

Kuhn also confirmed the PVCA’s commercial building and former office at Burswood in Perth has now been sold.

The PVCA’s 2020 Annual Report showed losses of $583,344 to December 31, 2020 with members declining to 573 from 733 in 2019.

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