Former Picon chairman Peter Morris has passed away

Morris is a former chairman of the organization and a long-time member of the Picon Council. He passed away on New Year’s Day.

From 1962 until his retirement last September, Morris spent his whole working life in the printing industry, starting as a teenager in the finishing department of a Birmingham printer. He first joined finishing equipment supplier Oscar Friedheim in 1971, left after a few years to start his own trade finishing business, but eventually returned to the company and became managing director in 1999.  He was part of a management buyout team in 2005, after which he became chief executive officer.

Morris joined the Picon Council in 2006 and became chairman in 2011. An enthusiastic advocate of the disparate print industry’s need to speak with a united voice, Morris used his two-year term to drive the creation of the Graphics, Print & Media Alliance (GPMA). 

Formed in June 2013, the GPMA now has eight member organizations drawn from across the industry. In March 2014, Morris was made an honorary vice-president of Picon in recognition of his contribution to the organization and the industry.

Bob Usher, managing director of Apex Digital Graphics, who succeeded Peter Morris as Picon chairman, said: ‘I will always remember Peter as a gentleman with a robust personality and a huge passion for the print industry, combined with a heart of gold.

‘That he made an enormous impression on anyone who was fortunate enough to meet him is clear from the many tributes we have received. People not only speak of his tireless enthusiasm for the print industry, to which the formation of the GPMA is a worthy memorial, but also recall his unfailing consideration for the people that make up the industry.  

‘I have personal experience of his immense generosity and kindness. When the Buncefield depot explosion in 2005 badly damaged the Apex headquarters he immediately gave us the warehouse and logistic support we urgently needed to keep the business operating.’

Peter Kiddell, managing director of PDS International and GPMA vice-chairman, said: ‘I only knew Peter for a relatively short time, but he left an indelible impression on me, so this is a great loss for those who know him for many years. He was a genuine person who exuded enthusiasm and commitment for the benefit of others.’