Ladies tee off at Heidelberg Women in Print

It isn’t quite the Breakfast Club, but that didn’t stop 100 women across Australia and New Zealand from getting up early to attend the Heidelberg Women in Print morning at PacPrint.

Following on from the successful Women in Print functions held throughout the year, this morning’s breakfast represented a rare opportunity to unite women from all over the trans-Tasman in one central location.

According to Angeline Wyatt, business development coordinator, Heidelberg, the catalyst for today’s breakfast came in response to feedback from previous Women in Print events.

“Attendees all said that they wanted the opportunity to hear from more women in the industry,” she said. “People travel from all over Australia and New Zealand to attend PacPrint so we were able to secure a good cross-section of speakers and audience.”

The five guest speakers included Sarah Thomas, Collotype Labels and previous LIA Graduate of the Year; Susan Heaney; Anne Read, general manager, Litho Print; Belinda Baker from Dalton and Helen Woods of Capital Fine Print.

Pictured: Sisters in arms (l-r), Karen Goldsmith; Helen Woods; Sarah Thomas and Belinda Baker.

Printing is known for being a social industry; but Baker believes this is often restricted to men. “The guys in the paper and print circles often catch up at football or gold, but women don’t really get the chance,” she said.

If this morning’s event was anything to go by, the Women in Print breakfast attendees were all good sports. “It was like being at the golf,” said Print NZ CEO, Joan Grace.

It is no surprise to anyone that the number of men employed in the printing industry far outweighs the women. Each of the speakers encouraged the crowd that it does not have to be this way.

Helen Woods believes that women share certain qualities that make them an important addition to the industry. “Our willingness to share, nurture and communicate openly are key factors … because the key will open the door to this male-dominated world where you as women can make a different,” she said.

As the youngest speaker on the panel, Sarah Thomas is a positive indication of the future of women in the printing industry. “I’m often one of the very few, and sometimes the only female that attends LIA and Printing Industries events so it’s a breath of fresh air to have the Women in Print organisation,” she said.

“With the fabulous functions and great networking opportunities, these events support the females of the industry and hopefully by the 2011 census, the stats can show a higher number of women to men in the industry.”