Esko – global supplier to the packaging, commercial printing, sign and display and professional publishing industries – has announced the appointment of Tony Wiley to the role of president, North America. The move was effective January 1, 2014.

In his new role, Tony will report directly to Christian Korte, Esko CCO. Wiley succeeds Mark Quinlan, who is leaving Esko to accept another opportunity. Quinlan and Wiley worked closely together to ensure a smooth transition of the leadership role, enabling Esko to continue the development of its business in North America.

Wiley will direct a well-structured organization with direct sales operations overseeing Eastern, Central and Western regions in the US, as well as a group in Canada. Each regional team integrates account managers for packaging, wide format and commercial printing, supported by application specialists and sales support assistants. Esko North America also has marketing, market development, customer and operations services. The North America team supports groups serving specific customers, markets and applications including brand owners, digital flexo, and sign and display. 

Wiley joined Esko in 1999, assuming roles of increasing responsibility over the past fifteen years. He successfully led the North American Customer Service organization for ten years and had been, most recently, vice president, US Central Region Sales, for the past five years.

“North America is a very important, growing global region for Esko, with many customers who are pioneers in our industry. We continue to focus on and invest resources to this area – the selection of a strong leader was critical for us. With his proven success in both service and sales, Tony has an extensive knowledge of Esko products and our customers’ needs. He has extended the US Central region to a strong performing area for Esko in North America,” says Korte. “Through Tony’s excellent relationships with our customers and channel partners, we are convinced he will be able to capture market needs to manage our organization in North America to maintain continued growth. I expect Tony to be very successful in his new role, while thanking Mark for his hard work and commitment over the past five years. He has laid a strong foundation for Esko in the Americas.”

Replacing Wiley as vice president, US Central Region Sales, is Steve Bennett, who most recently held the role of vice president, Digital Finishing Business, and had been vice president, New Business Development. “Steve brings to this new role considerable knowledge of printing applications including wide format inkjet, workflow solutions, and computer to plate technology – combined with a solid marketing background focused on creating strong brand awareness and product loyalty,” the company says. 

Esko to build a separate business organization in Latin America
Parallel with this organizational change, Esko is forming an autonomous business organization in Latin America, driven by Esko vice president, Latin America, Ernande Ramos, who will also report to Korte. This will allow Esko to react more specifically to the unique market dynamics of Central and South America.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue Esko’s prominence among supply chain partners in the packaging and printing industries,” says Wiley. “Mark Quinlan did an exceptional job forming our organization as a responsive group for our customer base. It’s an exciting time for Esko North America. Esko products and services, particularly for packaging and digital finishing, continue to offer groundbreaking technologies that have very profound benefits for our customers. I hope to continue our efforts demonstrating how Esko can play a significant role in our customers’ successes.”