PrintWeek tipped Clark for the role last November and can now confirm that he has resigned from his post as managing director of Southernprint in order to take up the Sheffield role.

Clark described the job as "a heady mix of opportunity and challenge". "It's the sort of opportunity that doesn't come along very often and also an incredible challenge," he said. "I will also be involved in the creation of a culture rather than the changing of one, which is a compelling prospect."

It's not yet known when Clark will be able to take up his new position. If Southernprint owner Newsquest holds him to the terms of his contract he will not be released until May.

Clark is a former managing director of Varnicoat so is familiar with the technology and issues of the gravure process. He quit Polestar in 2000 but returned to the industry in 2001 when he succeeded Chris Smith at Southernprint.

Polestar initially appointed industry outsider Andrew Jones to the role, but he quit after just eight weeks.

See earlier stories: Polestar nears decision on gravure MD, Polestar's Jones in rapid exit.

Separately, Polestar has also poached Quebecor World pressroom manager Terry Knott to take on the equivalent role at Sheffield.

Knott was pressroom manager for the Associated Newspapers plant at Corby, and is therefore intimately acquainted with the first major contract set to move to Sheffield. He joins on Monday (17 January).

And 12 number one gravure press minders, most of them internal transfers from within Polestar, started at the plant this week and will shortly travel to Italy to be trained on the new Ceruttis Polestar's 3.88m-wide presses are the biggest yet to be made by the Italian supplier.

[O] Polestar is also tipped to have won a gravure contract for Emap's new weekly Grazia, although details are unconfirmed. The launch schedule for the title means that, initially at least, it could not be printed at Sheffield.

Story by Jo Francis