30 June 2022

James Boughton becomes Picon Chairman

James Boughton, managing director of Edale, is the new Chairman of Picon, succeeding Mark Bristow of Friedheim International who served an extended term to cover the Covid-19 crisis. The handover took place at the Annual General Meeting last week.

James Boughton has been with label and packaging equipment manufacturer Edale for 27 years, having joined with an engineering degree and taken them through to the acquisition by Canon Production Printing.

James likes the ability to network and to get a good steer on the direction of the industry through Picon membership. As a partners-based business he says that Edale has benefitted from collaboration opportunities as well as TAG/TAGX training grants and access to good knowledge.

He pays tribute to Mark Bristow who having served three years is the longest serving Chairman since Picon rebranded in 1993. “He has had a very disrupted term of office. We have enjoyed his particularly good speeches; he is a very well-informed and interesting person.”

James hopes that his term of office will provide Picon with continuity and stability. He is keen to drill down into member companies, to make a wider range of staff aware of the benefits that Picon offers. He knows that the information of substance and purpose that Picon shares really can help them improve their businesses. 

James is married to Claire and has two daughters Ella (18) and Freya (15) and lives in Winchester. He is a northerner by birth who went to Portsmouth University, the start of his transfer south. 

Three other Picon members have joined the Picon Council this year: Neil Jones, managing director of Bobst UK; Kevin O’Donnell, head of  marketing, graphic communications of Xerox UK, Ireland and the Nordics; and Peter Murphy, managing director of Turnbull & Scott.

Others serving on the Picon Council: Neil Sutton (Komori); Ryan Miles (Heidelberg);  Andy Pang (Koenig & Bauer); Iain Bullock (Renz); Stuart Murphy (Rollem); Tim Klemz (Compact Engineering, another BPMSA representative); and Robert Flather (Kolbus).

Bettine Pellant, CEO of Picon, says: “The appointment of James Boughton as Chairman marks the return to business as normal after the pandemic. Picon has provided a valuable networking and communication service to its customers throughout this challenging period and we now look forward to meeting up in person more often and to continuing our work of ensuring the printing supplies industry remains strong, relevant and has a voice in the wider community.”