“Kathy Woodward was one of the most energetic, enthusiastic and inspirational people I have met in my many years of working in our industry,” said BPIF president Tony Garnish.

“Leading from the front, she with her team has driven a transformation of the BPIF which is second to none, and we will make sure her legacy continues."

Woodward was a passionate advocate of the power of print, but was acutely aware that it needed to evolve to maintain its relevance.

Her background was in people development and change management, skills she developed in a number of roles at IT group ICL, which she joined straight from university.

Her print career began in the world of newspapers in 1986, when she joined British Newspaper Printing Corporation to help manage the cultural change from Fleet Street to its new colour printing sites.

She then joined the then Robert Maxwell-owned British Printing Company (BPC), where she first met David Mitchell.

She joined Mitchell’s fledgling print management business Astron in 1996 and was instrumental in helping him create a £280m company that was sold in 2005 to RR Donnelley for more than £500m.

Woodward took the helm at the BPIF in the summer of 2011, and during her three-year tenure she said her proudest achievement was securing £1.1m of government funding for management training in the print industry.

“Kathy will be very sadly missed, by our industry and the community in general, especially those of us who had the privilege of being her friend,” said Garnish.

To read PrintWeek’s 2013 interview with Kathy Woodward, click here.