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We've counted the votes, deliberated, cogitated and digested the results, and finally - after a heated debate - we've drawn up a list of who we feel are the 100 most powerful people in print. There are plenty of newcomers, one or two surprises and a new number one who we hope you will all agree, deservedly tops this year's rankings. For those of you who made the list, congratulations, and for those of you who missed out, better luck next year. PrintWeek would like to thank all of those readers who took the time to vote online for their personal pick, and we hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together

1. BRIAN EDWARDS (2) – St Ives

Why PrintWeek’s favourite grumpy old man recaptures the number one spot thanks to his pivotal role at a resurgent St Ives, which through its group sales strategy is now really starting to capitalise on its many strengths. Chief executive Edwards is presiding over an invigorated board that isn’t, shall we say, as bean counter dominant as it has been in the past, and he’s recognised that a set of people with different skills to his own were required to take the business to the next stage – no mean feat for a long-serving executive. That St Ives is winning significant managed service deals such as those with the Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s shows that the group has both the creative nous to win major pitches of this ilk, as well as the back room ability to subsequently deliver on the promises. There’s certainly been a change in the dynamics of the business thanks to the influx of alternative thinking that came with the acquisitions of SP Group and Service Graphics. No doubt his rugby refereeing skills come in handy as he mediates between the ties and the no ties in the senior management team. It’s even whispered that some of the customer-centric mindset that is typical of Simon Ward and Ben Moss may have rubbed off on him, and that these days Edwards is a bit more commercially focused and customer friendly. Who could have even imagined St Ives appointing a strategic marketing consultant a few years ago? 2008 marks Edwards’ 30th year at the company, and if the group manages to build on the progress it made at the interim stage, it could also mark a return to form for one of print’s most respected businesses – and one of its most respected chief executives.

He says I’ll be in a better mood once these budget reviews are over
They say He’s a very good leveller – he’ll say no to everyone

2. TIM GRIFFITHS (1) – Williams Lea

Why We placed Tim Griffiths at the top of the rankings a year ago and his drop of one place this year is down less to his company’s own efforts than the emergence of Brian Edwards’ St Ives on the print management scene. Griffiths’ year has been another roller-coaster ride that was punctuated by the signing of what could be the industry’s most complex business process outsourcing deal ever – a seven-year, $1bn contract for the Readers’ Digest Association (RDA) to control all of the organisation’s direct marketing across the world. Under the deal, Williams Lea is handling print procurement as well as electronic customer communications for RDA in markets including Latin America, Russia and Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, a contract with HBOS worth as much as £200m in total is rumoured to be in negotiations, although no official announcements have yet been made on the talks. And Griffiths, whose focus and commanding physical presence make him a natural leader, has his eye on more expansion. Acquisitions will be one avenue, while he is confident that more RDA-style deals are on the way. You wouldn’t bet against him being right.

He says If we’d been an independent, UK-owned business then maybe RDA would have viewed granting a contract of that size as a risk. But all that has changed
They say A true visionary. WL has gone from strength to strength and he has moved them to true BPO organisation ideally placed to ride out any economic storm

3. Barry Hibbert (3) – Polestar

Why Keeping pace with Polestar’s chief executive is no easy feat; he’s renowned as one of print’s most dynamic leaders and the higher the pressure, the more he seems to thrive. He’s got a spring in his step and seems full of energy – he’s a man in a hurry again, notes one observer. Hibbert has been both the predictor and the architect of industry consolidation, and after so much speculation linking Polestar and Quebecor World in the recent past, he will no doubt be watching events unfold at Roto Smeets Quebecor with great interest. Whether the current Polestar/Wyndeham rumours result in a marriage or not, it seems certain that Polestar will be in the thick of any future industry restructuring. For those looking to Polestar to lead the way in pushing through price increases, he has a simple response: The market sets the price and you have to be able to compete. It’s not an environment where any one printer can dominate. When time allows, he relaxes by pottering about on the river on his 1946 wooden launch, but we’re willing to bet the Blackberry is never far from his side.

He says The current format of the printing industry in the UK and Europe isn’t sustainable – more consolidation is needed
They say He’s an exceptional CEO. Dynamic and a true leader who has a lot of vision. He can sometimes make knee-jerk decisions, but generally they turn out to be the right one anyway

4. Andrew Pindar (9) – Pindar Group

Why Dynamic, decisive, a good delegator and a good chairman, Andrew Pindar proved the top choice in the Power 100 public vote, and he clearly has a lot of fans in the industry. Praise poured in for his vision and drive in pushing the Pindar businesses into new markets, as well as his concern for the environment and in cementing the company’s standing as a good corporate citizen. Thanks to its sports sponsorships the Pindar brand has an enviable global recognition and, as a result, the firm is one of the few in the industry to achieve superbrand status. However, despite punching above its weight, Pindar is subject to the same pressures as every other privately-owned printing company, and the going is certainly tough in some of its businesses, web offset in particular. As Pindar himself puts it: If you want to feel depressed about the printing industry, live in May and June.

He says As ever Simon Biltcliffe [of Webmart] has got it right and taking his lead I think we should all emigrate to Australia
They say He has successfully carried on the legacy of the family business while making great strides in new countries, markets and services. But while doing that he has not forgotten to inspire, support and motivate the smaller businesses in the Pindar Group

5. Yolanda Noble (14) – Dsicmm

Why Noble’s inclusion in last year’s power list, where she was the second highest new entry, followed her appointment as chief executive of the newly merged direct mail powerhouse Dsicmm. Not one to rest on her laurels, Noble has been busy expanding the group over the past 12 months, most notably with the acquisition of K2 in January 2008, which increased turnover to £120m with a staff of more than 1,100. Noble’s drive and ambition are the stuff of legend within the industry. One colleague, asked to list three adjectives that best describe her, responded: determined, determined, determined and that determination is unlikely to be tempered in the coming year. Shrugging off the credit crunch, Dsicmm looks set to continue with its aggressive acquisition strategy with at least one acquisition thought to be in the pipeline. The culture of Dsicmm is great, and the people are fantastic, says one associate. A country girl at heart, Noble spends her spare time walking the dogs on her farm in Kent and riding horses.

She says Our strategy for growth is firmly concentrated on acquisitions and mergers
They say She installs a sense of fun into business and revels in achieving

6. Steve Vaughan (5) – Communisis

Why Dedicated hill-walker Steve Vaughan has had a mixed 12 months at Communisis, where he took charge in late 2006. He has courted controversy by declaring that there is no longer any margin in traditional print management and that only added-value services are the future for the sector – views that have not always found favour with the market. But as the head of a £260m business that is a major player in both print management and direct mail, Vaughan is hard to ignore.Clients, too, appear to have a mixed attitude to Vaughan’s Communisis. The company recently lost long-term customer Sainsbury’s to St Ives, but Co-operative Financial Services and Procter & Gamble have both come on board, the latter in a contract which Vaughan described as print management as you’ve never seen it before. Production-wise, Vaughan has overseen plenty of changes, with the new Liverpool transactional mail centre opening and the former Altrincham site merging into the company’s Leeds direct mail facility. A technology tie-up with HP is also pushing trans­promo, while the sale of Bath Business Forms will streamline the company more. The company’s finances, too, are getting better – in Vaughan’s first year in charge, Commu­nisis swung from a £20m pre-tax loss to £6m profit. He may not always be popular, but Vaughan must be doing something right.

He says We need to stop mucking around with revenue and we need to talk about how to make money
They say Steve Vaughan is not afraid to clear out the dead wood and lead the company down a new path

7. Paul Utting (4) – Wyndeham

Why Where is Paul Utting? He’s not exactly the UK’s most high-profile print boss anyway, but in recent months he seems to have been all but invisible. He’s been very quiet – it’s like he’s disappeared from the face of the earth, notes one industry stalwart. Though to be fair he did make a guest appearance at Drupa, signing the group’s new pre-press deal with Agfa. No doubt Utting is busy on behind the scenes activities relating to the future ownership of Wyndeham, as it seems certain the group’s Icelandic owners, having bought at the top of the market, would very much like to offload their investment. And while it makes sense to leave the day-to-day stuff to trusted lieutenants such as Dave Emeny at Heron and Barry Fitzpatrick at Wyndeham’s pre-media wing, it would be nice to see Utting finding the time to expend his considerable charm at a few more external events.

He says The industry needs to restructure and I’m keen to drive that process, talk to competitors, and put that in motion. However the debt markets are very challenging at the moment
They say He has tremendous integrity, is extremely good at what he does and learns quickly. He doesn’t pretend – unlike many – to know something he doesn’t

8. Mike Taylor (7) – CPI UK

Why Mike Taylor truly is an extraordinary individual. How many self-made multi-millionaires would have the drive and energy to keep working beyond 60? For Taylor, the answer is simple: The harder I work, the more I enjoy it. In fact, he’s currently holding down multiple jobs. He’s chief executive of CPI UK, and he’s the current president of the BPIF. I was busy before I took it on so now I’m ultra-busy. The biggest challenge is fitting it all in, he says. Oh and he’s still running Fulmar on a day-to-day basis and is also responsible for CPI’s European pre-press operations. He visits each CPI UK site once a month as a minimum, and obviously gets a tremendous buzz running what is now a £125m business. The fact that he has taken so readily to corporate life after so many years being his own boss has amazed many, including Taylor himself: Nobody was more surprised than me, and possibly CPI. They probably wondered how I would adapt. Meanwhile, his private passion for high-performance cars is as strong as ever, and last month he took delivery of his new Bentley Continental GT Speed.

He says I’m only 60, I’ve got a good 20 years in me yet! But don’t tell my wife I said that
They say He’s an inspiration

9. Tony Burke (13) – Unite

Why It has been a busy 12 months for Unite with a spate of closures and threatened strikes. Last year, there was concern that the mega merger between the Transport and General Workers union would leave print in the shadows. But Burke has ensured that this is not the case with his relentless enthusiasm and drive. Indeed, the union has recently announced a further tie up with United Steelworkers to reflect the globalisation of the industry, a deal which will bolster Unite’s global influence. However, it is the dispute at Butler and Tanner that stole the headlines and what many considered the controversial tactic of calling a strike, which, some claimed, led to the closure of the business. Whether this alters the union’s tactics in future disputes remains to be seen but a key challenge for the coming year will be to get the right balance between securing decent working conditions while maintaining opportunities for the union’s members in a worsening economic environment. His influence across the industry is undeniable, and he works tirelessly lobbying employers and governments alike to secure more rights for Unite members.

He says What makes my blood boil are those employers who can find money for new, luxury, top of the range cars that Rio Ferdinand would be happy to drive, but plead poverty to our members
They say Tony is a tough negotiator but someone who listens and is prepared to see the other party’s point of view. He is a responsible and pragmatic trade unionist

10. Michael Johnson (8) – BPIF

Why Johnson is one of the most focused and self-assured people you will meet in the print industry – and it’s just as well, given that, as head of the BPIF, he is head of the industry’s most influential employers’ organisation. He may have slipped behind union counterpart Tony Burke after his hyperactive and globetrotting year, and Unite’s headline-grabbing disputes, but that’s not to say Johnson has been slouching. In his inimitable energetic fashion, he has continued to argue for healthy consolidation in the industry and has been working hard to raise the industry’s profile at the highest level; one of his initiatives has been to reinvigorate MPs’ interest in the print industry by organising a series of visits to print companies. He’s also been vocal on environmental issues, arguing that media scare stories on packaging are overblown, and has been going through some consolidation of his own with the acquisition of the British Office Supplies and Services Federation last summer. Now a veteran of six years at the head of the BPIF, Johnson has become one of the great advocates for UK and worldwide print.

He says We are not the villains. If you were to drive one less mile a day or turn down your thermostat by just two degrees, you’d save as much energy as is used to make a year’s supply of household packaged goods
They say Michael shows ongoing commitment to the cause. He’s turning the BPIF around and is increasing the membership while updating it and dragging it into the
21st century