Northamptonshire print management and design business, Print Data Solutions (PDS) has been strengthened by the appointment of a new addition to its management team. James Portsmouth has joined PDS as Commercial Director with a brief to build on the business’s success and to help develop new services for its clients.
James, whose most recent post was Head of Implementations for Tag, part of the Williams Lea Group, has enjoyed travelling the world as part of his role setting up global contracts. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, James has been working from home for the last nine months and will now be permanently based in Northamptonshire where he lives with his family.
James originally started his career in the print industry and moved into direct mail, relocating from Worcestershire to Kettering following his employer’s acquisition by the 4DM Group. After 18 years within the direct mail sector, James joined the Williams Lea Group, a global provider of business-critical support services to the financial, legal, and professional services sectors. During his nine-year tenure, he progressed within the group to play a key role in its design and creative arm, Tag supporting FMCG and pharmaceutical brands.
James said, “I’m delighted to have joined the team at PDS and very much look forward to bringing my experience to the business. I hope that my knowledge will enhance the consistently fantastic service that it already delivers to its clients.
“As a family-run business, the personal touch and sense of family is very important to the culture of PDS and I am keen to support its growth without losing those important credentials which are central to its success.”
“As a sector, we have shown great agility during this year of upheaval and uncertainty and have delivered robust support to brands enabling them to continue reaching their customers effectively. We are often required to react at speed using the power of digital communications, but also by maintaining the tangible contact that print and fulfilment can bring at a time when retail and physical commercial experiences are constrained.
“PDS has already shown that it can adapt to continuously changing circumstances and I look forward to helping the business to build on its strengths as it moves forward.”
Managing director of PDS, Nick Shelton, who founded the business in 1998 said, “I am delighted with the appointment of James to this critical role for PDS. James has a wealth of experience in strategic development and I am confident that we will benefit from the knowledge he has built up during his career.
“Throughout 2020, the team at PDS has stepped up to embrace new ways of working and has adapted very quickly, continuing to deliver an excellent service for our clients despite the difficult circumstances in which all businesses have found themselves. With James on board, we can look forward to further strengthening our position as 2021 unfolds.”
