What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
To spend some uninterrupted time with my lovely family!

What trend (business or technology) do you think 2016 will be remembered for?
Innovation in delivery, from food to delivery by drones.

What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2017 and why?
I still believe that innovative personalisation still holds great opportunities and the packaging and POS arena are still growing.

What do you think will represent the single biggest threat for printers in 2017 and why?
Global brand procurement – people with limited knowledge of the value print delivers and who ignore their stakeholders (eg the Jaguar Land Rover pitch, which was an absolute shambles. Source: senior stakeholder). 

What’s the one thing that the industry should do more of, or do better, in 2017?
Talk more about innovation and added-value and back it up with empirical evidence. Also agree with clients the correct forum to discuss these things, not attempt to do it through business as usual channels. I actually defended the incumbent supplier at Starbucks on this point to the procurement department.

What was your biggest disappointment in 2016?
Missing an important football match my 10-year old son played in, unforgivable.

What was your highlight of 2016?
The continued support, as we expanded aggressively again, of our staff and suppliers.

What are your hopes for 2017?
That we continue to attract bright and capable people in all our businesses.

What was the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
In 1995, just before I started Paperhat and was feeling a little down, someone said to me: “Tim, you’ve been a success, you are a success now and you’ll be an even bigger success in the future. Don’t start keeping score badly.” Time will tell I guess.

What was the most important thing that you learnt in 2016?
That the northern expression ‘there’s none so queer as folk’ is as true as ever.

What if anything will you do differently in 2017?
Not miss an important soccer match my son plays in.

What’s your favourite Christmas cracker joke?
Scraping the barrel for questions here aren’t we!

What was the best Christmas present you ever received?
A carboard box, I used to enjoy building things with these more than the presents apparently.

Are you making any New Year's resolutions? If so, what?
Add more exciting companies to the group and be more reasonable with my group managing director, he’s a saint.