10 Tony Burke     (9)
Unite
Why A polarising figure in the industry; loved by his union's members, cursed by some employers, Unite assistant general secretary Burke remains a colourful and respected leader of the union's print division. As one colleague points out, "if he wasn't criticised by employers, he wouldn't be doing his job properly". However, Burke knows where to draw the line and has faced one of the most difficult years in recent memory for the print industry with pragmatism and behind-the-scenes negotiation. Those who nominated him praised his dedication to workers' rights and co-operation with all in the supply chain. Burke is a tireless campaigner and one of the few champions of the training the industry so desperately needs to protect its future. In his spare time, Burke is a music buff, earning him the moniker ‘print's John Peel'. Be prepared for Burke to shoot up the ranks in the not too distant future as speculation mounts that he may be a contender for the top job at Unite in due course.
He says "Our members did not cause this recession, but are paying for it with their jobs. Unite will not stand by while jobs and the skills, vital to helping us out of this downturn, are lost"
They say "I actually agree with everything Tony Burke says. I also know that the moon has ears and lampposts are creatures from another planet"

9 Ian George     (29)
Antalis and James McNaughton
Why A 20 place jump in the Power 100 may not be welcomed by the notoriously media shy UK & Ireland regional managing director of Antalis and James McNaughton, but it's more than justified. After all, the life and death power wielded by paper merchants over printers as a result of the Credit Crunch is well documented. One Power 100 voter said that he voted for George "not just because he is Antalis, but for the fact that he is the whole group, which is very much in control of the future of paper in the UK". Since taking on his current role, he has overseen the integration of MAP and been instrumental in streamlining back-office functions across companies to provide the same service level to printers. He has headed up the integration of sister company Arjowiggins Creative Papers into the business. Under his management, James McNaughton has also carried on its pioneering attitude to the environment and sustainability. Kent-based McNaughton reached 38th position in the latest Sunday Times 60 Best Green Companies 2009, the only merchant to appear in the list. It also collected an award for Outstanding Environmental Performance and has developed an "extensive range" of environmentally responsible products, while using as many innovations as possible to reduce its own impact.
He says "Do not tell PrintWeek anything about me"
They say "He's a very down to earth boss"


8 Mike Taylor     (8)
CPI UK
Why Having spent the past year not only as chief executive of CPI UK, but also as BPIF president, it's little wonder that he hasn't had much time to himself. "Work has taken 99.9% of all my time," he says. "But at my age, your job becomes your hobby almost." The outgoing BPIF president, who considers that role as among the industry's most powerful, lists the federation's return to a sound financial footing as a major highlight of the past 12 months. Taylor, who will celebrate 40 years of married life this September (and 45 years in the print industry), added that his other high point came with the realisation that working for somebody else was "not the unpleasant task that I thought it would be", after being given the freedom to reorganise CPI in the UK as he sees fit to help stay ahead of the market. Another cause for celebration - the birth of his second granddaughter - also served to remind him that he is nearing what he had thought would be his retirement age. Not that Taylor has any plans to hang up his print gloves just yet.
He says "I'm perverse, the harder it gets the more I like it"
They say "The legend enjoys continued success from an even bigger platform than before"


7 Sir John Madejski     (24)
Goodhead Group
Why When the history of 21st-century web offset printing is written, John Madejski will either be labelled a visionary genius, or "that idiot who's just passing money to publishers", which is the opinion of one rival who cannot comprehend why the newly knighted businessman is willing to pour so much of his fortune into BGP's Bicester web plant. Madejski rockets into our top 10 due to the impact his decisions are having on the beleaguered web sector. The huge amount of new capacity at Bicester, combined with a pricing policy that contributed to the business posting £18.3m in losses in its last accounts, have been "incredibly disruptive" to other web printers and his rise in the rankings reflects that impact. His great wealth (although reduced by £150m to £250m at the last estimate), charitable giving, and his recent knighthood ensures that Madejski moves in exalted circles, which could come in handy when it comes to filling those presses. He is described as a man who "can't abide failure, and that can be both a strength and a weakness".
He says "This is the last season we get parachute payments so we'll have to cut our coat according to the cloth"
They say "His management style is management by fear. He can make things very personal"


6 Yolanda Noble     (5)
Dsicmm
Why It has been yet another frantic year of dealmaking for the chief executive of direct marketing giant Dsicmm. Over the past year, she has tirelessly trod the well-worn acquisition trail, buying Dataforce and Emeness. Shrugging off the Credit Crunch, Noble secured a £25m finance package from Lloyds TSB in a difficult market. In addition, she appears to have solved GE legend Jack Welch's last great challenge of business, with the successful consolidation of the group businesses under one roof in the new Dagenham supersite. Having ruled out any imminent acquisitions, she is now focused on consolidating the businesses in the coming year and organically growing the company's blossoming £120m turnover. Possibly print's savviest dealmaker, Noble began her career at her family business, City Financial Mailing, before selling it to a management buyout only to buy it back at a fraction of the price a few years later. In little over five years since the buy-back, she has grown the company's turnover by 500%, rocketing to the top of PrintWeek's direct mail table. Well respected in the print industry and beyond, Noble also holds a perennial spot near the top of the Power 100 table in PrintWeek's sister DM title, Marketing Direct.
She says "Always run your business as if it was up for sale"
They say "A well-respected business leader - strong, ambitious and boasting a fantastic portfolio of businesses"


5 Steve Vaughan     (6)
Communisis
Why As the only member of 2008's top 10 to have improved on his position in 2009, Vaughan has obviously fared better than most over what has been a difficult 12 months. His year kicked off with the company announcing a 92% increase in profits in its 2008 interim results, thanks in no small part to his insistence that revenue-chasing is "insanity". Vaughan prefers to watch the company's margins as he continues to reinvent print management for the 21st century, with the transformation of Communisis into a "technology company with print capability". This evolution was encapsulated by the firm's acquisition of the data services business Absolute Intuistic in December 2008, after Communisis secured a £20m committed loan facility from Lloyds TSB (later doubled to £40m with a similar deal from Barclays), when the business decided against a volume-chasing acquisition in favour of increasing its value-added services. However, it hasn't been plain sailing through the economic storm for Vaughan and Communisis, as the company was forced to cut around 90 staff in January - two-thirds of which were at its direct mail facility. Since then, the company has had to warn the stock exchange of a softening in demand for both its promotional cheque and DM services, further reinforcing Vaughan's conviction that Communisis is on the right track.
He says "Adding value is not simply buying for less - your customers may love it, but you'll make no money"
They say "He's changing the model from low-value print management to high-value added services"


4 Patrick Martell     (37)
St Ives
Why Martell has ascended from factory floor to the top job at St Ives, hence his ascent up our rankings. But while becoming chief executive may be a dream job for a man described as a "remarkable individual" by one associate, he has more than enough on his plate to keep him awake at night. No matter how skilled a manager Martell may be - he's praised as being a careful thinker with great strategic vision - it is hard to see how he can get St Ives back to any semblance of what it was in its heyday. The appointments of Lloyd Wigglesworth, as group managing director for commercial products, and Giles Richell, as managing director of the under-pressure web division, are indicative that Martell is keen to bring some fresh thinking to his top management team. While he may p not have the larger than life persona of erstwhile rival for the chief executive job Simon Ward, Martell has a dry sense of humour and can be very tough when needed. His biggest problem, according to one observer, is whether shareholders will have enough patience to see his plans through.
He says "There's no point sitting on our hands thinking something's got to happen"
They say "He has a resilience and a tenacity that people might not yet appreciate"


3 Barry Hibbert     (3)
Polestar
Why Come August, it will be eight years since Hibbert returned to head up Polestar. "I doubt whether anyone else at the helm of that group could have taken Polestar through everything that has happened there," one observer notes. There's no doubt Hibbert is an exceptional individual, but having dealt with site rationalisation, the building of the Sheffield site, changes in senior management and various eye-watering refinancings, there's still no opportunity to draw breath. The challenges facing Hibbert and his group could well be the most testing yet and they're not within Polestar's control because they are global and market challenges. With so much of the group's business coming from newspaper supplements and magazines, Polestar is heavily exposed to the publishing downturn. In last year's Power 100, he described the printing industry in the UK and Europe as "not sustainable", saying that more consolidation was needed. 12 months on, not much has changed and the feeling that something's got to give soon is palpable. Hibbert, now backed up by a balance sheet that "will support taking over companies and assets", is certain to be in the thick of it.
He says "It's a rollercoaster and it's not stopping yet"
They say "I can't see how Polestar can ever make a profit without increasing their prices by 20%. Mind you, this is probably true of the whole industry"

2 Tim Griffiths     (2)
Williams Lea
Why Had it not been for the unique situation the industry finds itself in this year, Brian Edwards' departure as chief executive of St Ives would have probably been enough to return Griffiths to the top spot he last held in 2007. However, we have a new number one and Griffiths stays at number two. His drive and determination to break new boundaries with the company has taken it to the top of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) league. Griffiths is a hard man to track down although there can be no doubting his role in Williams Lea's negotiation of its second $1bn print management contract with the US-based educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, following the Readers' Digest Association deal signed in 2007. According to his peers, Griffiths' position as the head of the largest print management firm in the world gives him the power to bring true "collaboration" and compel change in the sector through his unrivalled buying power. Described by colleagues as "an inspirational leader", Griffiths has instilled a culture of loyalty, dedication and accountability across the firm. When he's not working, Griffiths can be found at Parc y Scarlets, home of his beloved Llanelli Scarlets rugby team that he saved from financial meltdown in 2006.
He says "Williams Lea is the leading global provider of Corporate Information Solutions"
They say "Love it or hate it, Williams Lea still provides the benchmark"

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