Epson, a global leader in printing, visual communications and manufacturing, has appointed Rob Clark as managing director of its UK business. Rob will be responsible for driving Epson’s growth plans in the UK and leading Epson’s sales, operations and marketing teams. Clark will take on this position while continuing to drive Epson’s European business strategy as senior vice president for Epson Europe.

“Across Europe, we’re investing in infrastructure, information technology and people (increasing our workforce by 10%) as we focus on our strategic shift from consumer to business markets,” says Clark. This follows Epson’s recent announcement to commit €50m in investment to drive its growth in Europe. At the heart of this drive for growth in European business markets is Epson’s range of WorkForce Pro and WorkForce Pro RIPS (Replaceable Ink Pack System) business inkjet printers, introduced in European in 2014. Incorporating the company’s proprietary PrecisionCore print head technology, which is proven in industrial inkjet printing, Epson believes that its WorkForce Pro printers are well positioned to take advantage of the ongoing shift from laser to business inkjet printing technology in medium to large sized corporations.

“With IDC reporting business inkjet printing represent a €38 billion market opportunity in Europe, I’m excited to drive UK and European operations to capitalise on this, while getting us even closer to our customers and partners across the UK and beyond.”

Clark has been with Epson for over 20 years, initially joining as a product manager for dot matrix printers before spending five years as director of the inkjet business for Epson Europe. He started his career working for the UK Government as a technology officer, after completing qualifications in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Clark replaces Tony Petford, who has been appointed as vice president for CISMEA (Russia & associated territories, Middle East and Africa). In this role, Petford will establish a new team, based primarily in the UK, that will serve as the key management structure for CISMEA and build on the growing momentum in the region.