64-65_Grid 03/07/2017 09:33 Page 64
Face To Face
Stepping Back, Striding Forward “I have a pathological dislike of the word ‘retirement’ - I much prefer to see it that I will be ‘stepping back’, allowing the rest of the management team to continue to take the company forward, “ admitted Chris James, who completed his 18 year reign as sales director of Danilo at the end of last month when he officially handed the sales baton of the licensed greeting card and calendar company to its recently appointed commercial director, Brett Smith. PG ‘stepped out’ with Chris and Brett and kept pace on the direction Danilo plans to stride out over the coming year. PG Live was a fitting official swansong for Chris James, who has been the twinkly-eyed sales director of Danilo for the last 18 years. He loved the buzz of the stand at the exhibition, chuckling at the automatic joy visitors demonstrated on meeting a ‘real live’ Minion. He also was completely on the ball, gauging reactions to the publisher’s wide product portfolio (which spans from top kids’ brands like Paw Patrol and mega sports clubs and talent signings like Justin Bieber and Liverpool FC, to its more quirky recent signings, which include Horrible Histories and Enid Blyton). “I can honestly say I have really enjoyed my last 18 years with Danilo; being part of its transition from a purely calendar company to one which is now very much a greeting card and calendar business. Danilo is entering an exciting new period and so it feels absolutely right, (both for the company and for me personally), to step back now and allow the management team to continue to take the company forward,” Chris told PG with a reassuring smile. While Chris will be retaining some links with the company, as a director and a shareholder, he is incredibly confident that 64
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
the day-to-day business of the company no longer requires his input. “Every business, and industry for that matter, needs to grow organically. Changes happen, some you can control, others, be they trade, consumer or economy-related are forced upon you, to which you need to adapt and change course accordingly. Danilo is even better placed now to react than previously,” says Chris, in a nod to the company’s talented creative team (headed up by Martin Carte) as well as the Top: Chris James (left), sales director of Danilo hands over the baton to Brett Smith, commercial director. Above left: Following on the success of its Adult Labybird book range, comes the Enid Blyton card collection from Danilo. Above middle: Einstein as depicted in Danilo’s new Hipstory range (by artist Amit Shimoni) that launched at PG Live. Right: A Krafty approach to DM3 from Danilo.
broader reach of licensing agreements that have been signed by licensing director, Dan Grant (who works closely with company founder Laurence and son Daniel, managing director of Danilo). Having been involved in the greeting card and allied industries pretty much all his working life (prior to Danilo Chris worked for card publishers Athena/Cartel as well as Platignum Pens) Chris can draw on decades of perspective as to how the shape of industries alter, as well as the way that companies adapt to an ever changing business landscape. Looking back at events that have transpired over his years at Danilo, Chris accepts that it would be foolhardy to ignore the rise of the value retail sector, most notably the expansion of the likes of Card Factory, B&M, Primark and Poundland. He also cites how publishers have had to to get their heads round the concept of brokerage and embrace it. “You need to recognise the importance of building relationships with the publisher broker, which is in effect your competitor, but who is, in many cases, your route into certain retailers,” sums up Chris.