APCOM Guest

Anthony Evans
APCOM President
City and County of Swansea

Anthony takes up the role of APCOM president from 2010 to 2012. He has been an active member of APCOM since 2003 and was formerly editor of the magazine, APCOM Secretary and Vice President.

In his full time capacity, Anthony is the Manager of the City and County of Swansea, DesignPrint unit, which incorporates graphic design, large format, both digital and litho print processes, transactional printing, management of the council MFD fleet, and a professional print buying service for the authority. Originally trained as a Technical Illustrator and Graphic Designer, Anthony has a broad range of experience spanning 26 years in the print sector. As a graphic designer and studio manager for a 100 year old printing company, Anthony was instrumental in bringing the then new Apple Mac technology to the studio and developing reprographic services around this. He was also a part time lecturer in graphic design and DTP.

Anthony has 3 sons, all playing football, rugby, cricket, etc., so spends most weekends on the touch line, and is chairman of the local junior football club.

Guy Millward
APCOM Secretary

Torbay Council

I started getting involved with print many years ago when my business partner at the time sold Kodak South West as it was then, back to the Kodak parent company and wanted something to do! “Why don’t we start a printing company, it’s related to D&P”. Oh how innocent we were!

Over time the business became more of a repro house than a printer and we were very busy. Then almost over night pre press plant started to become available at prices never before seen, every printer and his brother brought pre-press scanning, film and plate setting in and that was the end of the business.

Luckily for me, my local council in-plant was desperate to move on from their Varityper Epics system, the newly installed print manager (Brian Fox) was used to big plant and big runs (several million at a time) and had been given six months to turn the fortunes of the department around or the council would close it.
Within a week I had journalists in my office at midnight, frantically trying to get last minute copy ready for the Local Government Newspaper (the conference was held in Torbay that year) while I ran out film. A couple of days later I was installing servers stringing out a network and calibrating imagesetters, before showing the staff how to use the ‘Macs’ and ‘Quark’ etc……… six months later Brian called me over and said “you’d better start moderating your invoices because it looks like you’ll be here for some time to come”.

In the April of 1999 I started work with Torbay’s new unitary authority, and things have evolved out of all recognition since, we’ve just gone through JE and we’re due to be moving out of the town hall soon. Who knows what these uncertain times will bring, but if we work together I’m sure security will return and more of us will survive to see it.

I have been lucky enough to have been involved with the developing computerisation of the industry from the beginning, and I’m confident I can bring to APCOM a level of expertise few have been able to develop during their career.

Graham Lowe
APCOM Vice President
Staffordshire County Council

Graham is the Finance & Support Services Manager of Print Commissioning Services in Staffordshire County Council and moved to print in 2004, bringing over 20 years experience in local authority trading service management.

Graham joined the former Central Print Unit at a time of considerable uncertainty and has overseen projects that have significantly changed printing services in Staffordshire. Most significantly the former print unit was restructured and re-branded resulting in major business improvement and a recent relocation to purpose built premises. Graham often states that APCOM membership has played a major part in Staffordshire’s successes.Print Commissioning Services now provides a successful centralised corporate access point for a diverse range of print services including graphic design, litho, digital, variable data, finishing, procurement and project management.

Kathie Lock
APCOM Executive Member
Southwest One

Kathie Lock is Senior People Development Manager for the People Excellence Service at Southwest One (the joint venture partnership with Somerset County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and IBM) and the Leader of the Operational Services Community, which includes Graphic Design, Print Services, Site Services and Administration with over 200 members of this large Community group.

Kathie is a qualified graphic designer and has worked in the Design & Print industry for 23 years in a variety of roles from creative designer, through to Design and Pre-press Management and more recently as the Head of the Design & Print and Postal Services at Somerset County Council before moving on to her current role. Kathie has been an active member of APCOM since 2003.

John Price
APCOM Executive Member
Wigan Council

Biography to come

Mark Barlow
APCOM Past President
Blackpool Council

Mark is the Head of Print and Post Services at Blackpool Corporate Print Services, which incorporates Graphic design, wide format, both digital and litho processes, transactional printing, management of the council MFD fleet, post services and a professional print buying service for the authority. Originally trained as a Computer Graphic Designer, using such diverse software as GEM Ventura, CorelDraw and Paintbrush, Mark has a broad range of experience within the Public Sector and Printing. Initial duties involved Estimating and Accounting, whilst continuing to build on the Design aspects as a sideline, with the onset of new technology the old Compugraphic Editwriter was replaced and a whole new era began. In 1992 Mark became the Manager of Blackpool Council’s Print and Design Service, which had a small staff of 7, this has now grown to 30, incorporating the Post service and a much larger Graphics Team. With well over 24 years local government experience, Mark is well versed in the intricate workings and procedures surrounding In-plant operations within a local authority.

Mark has been an active member of APCOM since 2000 and was formerly APCOM President 2008-2010, editor of the magazine, secretary and publicity officer. On a personal note one of Mark’s main passions is Scuba Diving, which he currently teaches in the UK.

Tony Cartwright
APCOM Executive Member
Cheshire West and Chester Council

APCOM President 2006-2008, Tony is Print & Reprographics Manager, Cheshire West and Chester Council.

A draftsman by trade which developed into technical design during time largely spent working for Plymouth City Council.

He moved to Chester in 1991 to manage their technical support team. Being one of the largest users of the print facility (and a challenging one at that!) He was offered the role of reprographics manager in 1992, with a brief to modernise the print facility, embrace technology, operate trading accounts and develop the design capability. That challenge is a big today as it was then.

2009 saw the formation of Cheshire West and Chester council as a new unitary where Tony was appointed their print and reprographics manager.

During the past 15 years he has gained experience in all areas of print, print procurement, job evaluation, printing strategy to name but a few.

He is the proud father of 2 beautiful daughters. When not working, Tony enjoys most things ‘Irish’, playing golf and following his chosen football team Stoke. Most of his time however, is spent feeling knackered and trying to be a good father.

Sharni Athwal
APCOM Executive Member
Kirklees MBC

Biography to come