FESPA HOSTS FIRST FUTURE LEADERS

Twelve talented individuals graduated from the first-ever Fespa Future Leaders programme, the diverse cohort of emerging leaders from all parts of the industry, from garment decoration and signage to commercial print, suppliers and print service providers.

At stake was an expense-paid trip to Fespa Munich for one of the emerging leaders to act as spokesperson for the group to the 37 National Associations that make up the Fespa Community.

The cohort voted Troy Cavanagh of ImageBox Group to be their spokesman and Fespa Future Leader. Cavenagh said, "It was a humbling experience to be selected by industry peers to be the Fespa Future Leader of 2022, and head to Fespa Munich next year to represent them all. What a great experience"

The 12 were chosen for the programme from more than 30 applications. Fespa said they had expressed a clear leadership ambition, a history of investing in themselves and others, and a commitment to work towards a better industry. Eight independent judges had “a tough job” rating the applications against the selection criteria.

Nigel Davies, president of Fespa Australia, said, "The pandemic challenged many leaders, including myself, so we wanted future leaders to be better prepared. The programme had to be tailored to our industry and combine cutting-edge leadership coaching with insights from industry veterans. The quality of facilitation was the key; otherwise, it would be just like any other leadership programme.”

Carl Harman, managing director of Imago Leadership, was Fespa's choice to provide the programme. He has worked with and coached the senior and executive teams and boards of many prominent corporate and government organisations here and overseas. He said, “This week was a career highlight."

Davies said, "The personal feedback, LinkedIn posts from the group and their employers have been exceptional, and their journey had only just begun. We want these talented individuals to grow together and set their minds to the challenges of our industry. We are looking for mentors to work with them; industry thought leaders to meet with them, so be in touch if you want to work with the program as a participant or mentor.

The Fespa Future Leaders programme was made possible through the generous support of Diamond Sponsor, Orafol; Gold Sponsors Ball & Doggett, Durst, Starleaton, Visual Connections; Silver Sponsors Kissel and Wolf, M-Power Software, Cactus Imaging; and Bronze Sponsors HVG and Ricky Richards. The Glen Crerar Memorial Training Scholarship will support the Fespa Future Leader to represent Fespa Australia in Europe in next year.