Michael Stone was well known and highly regarded in the printing and office equipment industries. Only days before his untimely death, he had delivered a meaningful and acclaimed colour strategy presentation at an industry seminar.
Michael immigrated to Australia from Czechoslovakia in 1992, possessing a degree in aeronautical engineering, a burning ambition to succeed and only a limited vocabulary in English.
His first major task in Australia was to spend a year studying English. Michael and his wife made a pact to only speak in English – even when at home. Michael’s determination was such that he quickly became fluent in both written and spoken English.
In 1993, he started his career with Fuji Xerox Australia as a field technician after completing a two-and-a-half year stint as a customer service and support engineer in the Czech Republic. His diligence and ambition saw him progressing through the ranks and he was appointed to the role of Colour Development Manager in 1997.
In July 2000, he took on the responsibility for the marketing of the Fuji Xerox range of black & white office products. A year later, he was promoted to National Product Marketing Manager.
In 2002, Michael was appointed to the senior position of Business Marketing Manager for Production Systems. In this role Michael was responsible for the strategic direction of Fuji Xerox Australia’s production systems business – in particular, the DocuTech, DocuPrint and DocuColor ranges of technologies.
Shortly before his death, Michael was given the prize role of launching the new DocuColor iGen3 production printing system in Australia. In this position, Michael was responsible for all actions relating to the business and marketing strategy of DocuColor iGen3, a key initiative for the company.
Michael had also completed a Masters in Engineering Science at the University of NSW and was nearing completion of his MBA Degree through the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Michael was very active in his local community and enjoyed friendships with a broad array of people, from all walks of life.
Michael is survived by his wife and two children.
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