ELMWOOD PARK, NJ—Gunther Mertens has succeeded Peter Wilkens as Agfa Graphics regional president for the North American market and became a member of the firm’s Global Graphics Management Committee (GMC). He joined Agfa in 1999 and held various positions in M&A and finance. Since 2006, he has been the vice president and CFO of Agfa Graphics’ subsidiaries in the U.S. and Canada. He holds a master’s degree in business economics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
“Gunther is a well experienced senior executive with a proven track record in our company,” Stefaan Vanhooren, Agfa Graphics’ global corporate president, said. “He brings a broad business acumen and operations know-how, combined with a good understanding of the evolving needs of the North American printing industry.”
Mertens said, “Since the acquisition of Pitman in 2010, Agfa Graphics has served a significantly broader customer base. We will focus more on customers, providing them added value across their businesses and an excellent experience in doing business with Agfa. It is our clear intention to generate sustainable business growth, building on innovative solutions and broad relationships that we enjoy with a wide variety of excellent printing vendors.”
In another move, Michael Ciaramella joins Agfa Graphics as its vice president, sales, for the U.S. Ciaramella built his outstanding sales, marketing and professional service skills in the U.S. printing industry, including in management positions at HP, Eastman Kodak and Microsoft. “He has also proven credentials in creating high performing sales teams capable of selling value add solutions encompassing all segments of our business,” Mertens said. “We welcome him and look forward to starting a successful journey.”