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If you’re the head of a printing company and you have a senior position that needs filling, there are lots of different factors that you need to take into consideration. Aside from a CV jam-packed with experience, one of the biggest conundrums is whether you opt for a candidate who already knows the industry inside out and is currently working in print, or do you gamble and go for an outsider: a candidate who has made their name in another sector and could cast a fresh eye on the industry and more importantly on your business?

Evidence shows that both approaches have their merits. A quick glance at PrintWeek’s annual Power 100 list suggests that the vast majority of the great and the good have solid backgrounds in print. But contrast that with the board of Communisis: it’s packed with directors that have worked in other areas of business, from former IT specialist and current chief executive Steve Vaughan, all the way down through the management food chain.

The big debate
Recruiting from without or within is an area that’s very much open to debate judging by the comments of recruiters who specialise in the print sector. “There are, without doubt, times when industry knowledge is valuable but this tends to be more the case at an operational level where product or market knowledge and contacts can be an advantage,” explains Dani Novick, managing director at Mercury Search and Selection.

But Mark Lennard, director at JPL Recruitment, argues that those at the very pinnacle of a company need to have some form of technical knowledge. “It very much hinges on the technical side,” he says. “For example, someone coming into a print firm from the hospitality sector would not get to grips with the industry.”

Lennard adds that print companies rarely, if ever, look for senior people outside the industry. “We have never had the t situation where a client of ours is thinking of looking for a candidate from the outside.”

George Thompson, joint managing director at recruitment specialist Harrison Scott, says that at face value, hiring a director from another industry makes sense – “someone from, for example, car manufacturing could go into a web plant. But over the years, I have become more suspicious. In practice, I have never seen great results,” he adds.

He is a staunch believer, like Lennard, that someone with a background in print is necessary for a top director’s role. “The person often needs to understand the historical side of the business. And I can’t remember people who have made it big in print and have a background in, for example, FMCG.”

One of the reasons for this, according to Thompson, is that internal candidates often have a solid contacts book, which is particularly useful for anyone gunning for a top sales job. “There are very few companies that will give a sales director position and not expect the person to come with a track record of bringing in turnover as well as contacts,” he adds.

The print industry is an incredibly cliquey sector, as Lennard observes: “There is a lot of networking and it’s always good to keep your ear to the ground. But it is not unusual for people to move to another company on the basis that they have worked with certain individuals in the past.”

It goes without saying that recruiting someone with a strong print background – and the aforementioned list of contacts – makes sound business sense.

“At a basic level, the depth of customer knowledge and insight can be invaluable in refining your offering,” explains Novick. “However, taken to the next level and bringing someone on board who has an understanding of the pressures facing your clients, could help you develop competitive strategies that go way beyond what your customers want and actually address what they really need.”

Strategic influence
“Recruiting from a sector that has a reputation for being at the forefront in a specific field clearly has potential,” explains Novick. “The automotive sector, for example, was clearly a leader in sourcing and logistics. The major retailers have, sometimes rather dubiously, a reputation for gathering and using customer data. As we see more print companies moving towards a communications business model there are probably opportunities for data experts in our sector.”

The changing face of print has already prompted the likes of Communisis and Triplearc, to name just two, to look outside the traditional print market. Point-of-sale specialist Simpson Group has also gone outside the traditional print boundaries and hired a marketing and sales director with experience in the FMCG sector (see box above). From these examples, it’s clear that there are some companies that consider it an advantage to go down alternative routes.

There is also the opportunity to adopt what Harrison Scott’s Thompson describes as a “halfway house” approach. For example, a head of a book printing outfit may decide to bring in a director with a background in direct mail print.

This has two-fold benefits: it can give a new perspective on running a business, but at the same time the new director is likely to have a basic knowledge of the print industry already. “It can give a business some fresh thinking,” adds Thompson.

Regardless of where the individual comes from, picking the right candidate sometimes simply boils down to how well they will get on with the rest of the management team, particularly the chairman or individual doing the hiring.

“Normally one person has the deciding vote on such an appointment,” adds Thompson. “It can depend on that person’s rapport and there has to be a synergy. That new appointment needs to click.”

Focusing on new skills
Mercury’s Novick adds that the new director should be able to have a vision for the business and that the operation should have a structure in place to incorporate fresh ideas.

“An overall business perspective is also essential,” adds Novick. “Often we see people who have risen internally to director level or aspire to it who have a very narrow focus. They may be skilled and successful to date but tend to focus on too small a scale – on production processes individual contracts, orders or clients.

“Even when responsible for a specific function, such as sales, the director needs to have a wider business perspective to understand the interactions between their area and the rest of the business. Without this, it will be difficult to see where innovation can be made to drive the business forward,” she says.

But as JPL’s Lennard observes, the print industry can reward those who have been in it all their lives. “The hardest part of our industry is getting on the ladder,” he says. “Once you’re on it, you can work your way up to the top.”

Many of the powerful figures in print have been a solid part of it for many years. But sometimes you need a fresh approach and it can benefit your business. Recruitment is never easy and for the top jobs, the stakes are higher still.

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CASE STUDY: SIMPSON GROUP
Ed Reid has been marketing and sales director at Simpson Group for four months and his background is far removed from the cut and thrust of the print sector.
Reid was previously channel strategy manager at Nestlé Rowntree for three and a half years, but this isn’t his only experience in the blue chip arena: Reid has also worked for Corus, previously British Steel, and drinks giant Diageo. But after completing an MA he felt it was time for a change.
“I had worked at big multi-national companies for years,” he says. “I decided it was time to work for a smaller firm.”

Reid was head hunted for his marketing and sales role at the Simpson Group after the Tyneside-based firm decided that it needed to beef up its offer to the market and realised that it needed a better understanding of its customers. With Reid’s experience of the other side of the fence, the company is hoping that he can bring a fresh approach to the business.

“The technical aspect of the industry is something I am still trying to get up to speed on,” he adds. “I’m lucky that Simpson Group has a training programme for customers – that is perfect for me and a good introduction.”

Reid wasn’t hired for his technical expertise but for his sales and marketing background in the wider business world, and although it’s still early days, if he’s successful, other print firms might want to follow suit and make senior appointments from other sectors.