Christophe Aussenac was inaugurated at an assembly of Fespa’s national associations that took place during the organisation’s Global Print Expo in Amsterdam last week.
Aussenac has replaced outgoing president Christian Duyckaerts, who he has supported as vice president since 2017. Duyckaerts has now been appointed as Fespa’s Asia ambassador and also returns to the general duties of a Fespa board member, in addition to his active involvement with the Belgian national association, Fespa Belgium.
Aussenac has been a Fespa board member since 2014 and also leads Fespa France, the national association serving the French digital and wide-format printing community. He has been a driving force in the establishment of Fespa’s Southern European Congress and is a vocal advocate for improved sustainability in speciality printing.
He is a founding director of Lyon-based ATC (Autorise Toute Creativité), which he established with his business partner in 1991. The company employs 60 people and provides a range of interior and outdoor signage, graphics, display, and POS services to corporate and agency clients.
Aussenac said: “Assuming the presidency during Fespa’s first live event since 2019 is a proud and emotional moment after such an extraordinary period in our professional and personal lives.
“As a speciality printer myself, I believe that Fespa has a vital role to play in supporting our global community to continue to evolve, innovate and rise to the challenges and opportunities that face us, in particular the imperative to place more emphasis on environmental responsibility.”
He added: “This is a critical time for our members. The prolonged global pandemic has put multiple pressures on print businesses, and owners are now rebuilding and reimagining their future, with a stronger focus than ever on topics like production efficiency, diversification and automation.
“Looking ahead to 2022, we hope for the successful resumption of all our global Fespa events, and to being able to re-engage with all members of our community in the real world.”
Alberto Masserdotti, founder of the Masserdotti group in Italy, and Wouter Van As, commercial director of Van As in the Netherlands, were also appointed as new members of the Fespa board while longstanding board members Anders Nilsson and Enrico Steijn stepped down.
