Chris’ involvement in the printing industry originated in New Zealand, where he completed an apprenticeship in sheet-fed offset (or was it letterpress?), attaining his Advanced Trade Certification, and the NZ Certificate in Print Supervision. He spent a number of years in retail advertising print-production, before taking up his first role in technical sales to the print industry. He then spent five years in the USA during which he managed a printing company in Boston, during which time he also studied sales and marketing at the renowned Harvard University.
He then moved to “Silicon Valley” in California, where he was sales and marketing manager of a leading typographical services company. It was this move which brought him in direct touch with some of the major players in pre-press technology – such as Apple, Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, etc.
Returning to New Zealand, Chris held several technical sales, marketing and general management roles with suppliers to the print and packaging segments. During this period he also completed his MBA at Massey University.
Relocating to Melbourne in 1990, Chris has worked with a leading global supplier of pre-press software and solutions in various senior sales development and product marketing roles, with national responsibilities. These broad-based roles, have given him a unique perspective from which to view the industry and to understand its requirements – especially in how to assess and identify suitable candidates.