100 Jon Fennell (NEW)
Active International
Why We thought the people behind the outspoken and astute comments on the printweek.com forums merited a place in our power charts. After all, they give a unique and levelling insight into the world of commercial print. The problem is - what do we know about the people behind the names? The Mighty Wind, Lordofweboffset and Edna Bag protect their identity with pseudonyms. However, Fennell chooses not to hide his true identity. With nearly 600 comments to his name, Fennell is a dedicated contributor and - as the head of the print services part of a corporate trading company - there isn't much going on in print that he doesn't know about. During the Butler and Tanner saga, his sage input was at first rudely rejected by outraged staff, but they soon realised his objective advice should not be snubbed. A straight talker and a valued contributor.
99 Dale Wallis (NEW)
BPIF
Why Wallis is a new entry into the Power 100 and it's easy to see why. There's a long queue of industry insiders willing to sing the praises of the BPIF's membership director. It's his commitment and enthusiasm that sets him apart from the crowd, while inside the federation he is seen as an inspirational leader and mentor. Wallis isn't just interested in the bigger beasts of the print sector; smaller firms have benefited from his technical, commercial and environmental knowledge. Wallis's star is in the ascendency and as one industry insider succinctly puts it: "He's simply the best."
98 Simon Berg (92)
Fresh Media Group
Why Berg is transforming Fresh Media Group from a magazine pre-press supplier to a graphics production agency. The chief executive admits it's tough, but he is thriving in what he calls the most exciting times he's ever seen. Repro revenues have halved in recent years, being replaced by photography, video, creative and technology revenues. One voter for Berg said: "FMG's Ceros and New Kids innovations are leading the print/web crossover." We take it they meant BigKid, but we'll let it pass. The sentiment is an accurate one. There's no doubting the success of Ceros, with 800 titles using the system, including several digital-only launches on the platform.
97 Ann Field (NEW)
Unite
Why The driving force behind this year's successful bid to save jobs at the Cambridge University Press (CUP), national officer Field is rapidly establishing herself as one of Unite's tough cookies. One nominator from the Power 100's public vote praised the "massive impact she has had on the everyday worker in the print industry". Such high praise should be tempered, perhaps, by the debacle at Butler and Tanner last year. However, Field's sterling efforts to avert job cuts at CUP without heavy-handed threats of strikes, was an attitude that earned her admiration from both sides of the fence.
96 Tim Elliott (93)
Elliott Baxter (EBB)
Why Apart from taking centre stage in PrintWeek's Valentine's Day special, EBB managing director Elliott has also caused a bit of a stir with his views on credit insurance over the past 12 months. However, one Power 100 voter said that he always maintains a positive outlook, despite the "harshest trading conditions ever known", while another noted that no other independent merchant has the clout that he has. The proof is in the pudding, it seems. EBB has grown for 28 consecutive years under Elliott's guidance and he is still actively seeking opportunities to grow.
95 Paul Holohan (NEW)
Richmond Capital Partners
Why Holohan's importance to the trade cannot be underestimated at a time when companies are looking to merge for security or are in need of advice on how to navigate the choppy waters of the recession. Those that know him describe chief executive Holohan as "extremely astute", "knowledgeable and straightforward" and an "ideas man". He has fulfilled various roles in print throughout his career and now heads up corporate adviser Richmond, a boutique advisory firm specialising in M&A. Holohan is passionate about training and business improvement programmes, both worthy causes in today's rapidly evolving industry.
94 Nick Alexander (91)
Garnett Dickinson
Why As group chief executive of web, sheetfed and digital business Garnett Dickinson, Alexander has overseen growth in sales and profits over the course of the last year. The company continues to evolve and change pace and this is due in a large part to Alexander's unwavering focus on building up the business. One of his few failures of note came when he was unable to make the two hours, 30 minutes target that would see him compete with the elite men at the London Triathlon. Undeterred by this failure, he is currently training hard so that he can make the grade. He also has the mad dream of swimming the Channel one day - if David Walliams can do it, then few would bet against Alexander.
93 Tony Hards (87)
Graphics Arts Equipment (GAE)
Why The Frank Sinatra of the printing industry back in the good old days, joint managing director Hards' stock has dropped slightly in 2009 owing to the sale of GAE to Litho Supplies. However, he still has a major role to play at the company and the finishing sector as a whole. One colleague claims that Hards has a "rare instinctive quality and the ability to shoot from the lip". With the sale of GAE and his role presumably diminishing in the future, this could well be the last time we see this print legend in the power list.
92 Tony Jones (96)
Pensord
Why The progress up this year's rankings for Jones is largely down to Pensord's double at last summer's Excellence awards, where he picked up the gong for Improved Financial Performance and the night's top prize - Company of the Year. Whether it's an innovative approach to people development and technology, or good old-fashioned strong financial management, Jones is held up as a shining example of what the modern print boss should look like. As one admirer says: "Tony has respect, not only because he has a very inclusive, innovative management style, but because you know that if push came to shove, he has a ‘bite' to him."
91 Simon Moore (85)
Eclipse Colour Print
Why Disaster struck for managing director Moore when the Credit Crunch hit him hard, not in terms of business, instead the Formula One fanatic has had to curb his regular globe-trotting trips to Grand Prix venues. To make matters worse, his beloved Leeds United once again failed miserably to get out of League One. He managed to keep things ticking over nicely at Eclipse, achieving a £16m turnover this year. This could be down to his eagle-eye attention to detail, which forces him to stalk his factory ensuring everything is in place. A colleague says of Moore: "He has a good mix of skills: he can sell, he is technically astute and he has an all-round skill set."
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