Fespa’s chief executive officer Neil Felton has received the 2025 Girls Who Print Ally Award in recognition of his involvement in initiatives supporting inclusion and community impact within the print industry.
The award acknowledges Mr Felton’s leadership of the Fespa Foundation, which was launched earlier this year. The Foundation focuses on the theme of “Print for Good” and works with exhibitors at Fespa exhibitions to produce printed educational materials for schools and underserved communities, including projects in South Africa. The initiative aims to demonstrate how print can be used to support education and improve learning environments.
The Girls Who Print Ally Award is presented to individuals who support the organisation’s mission and contribute to positive change within the print and graphic communications sector. Girls Who Print is a non-profit organisation founded and led by Deborah Corn, with a focus on supporting and advancing the careers of women in print through education, mentorship and professional networking.
Fespa partnered with Girls Who Print during Fespa Global Print Expo 2025, held in May at Messe Berlin, Germany. As part of the event, Girls Who Print hosted a series of speaker sessions at the SmartHub conference and organised a networking lunch. These sessions featured women working across different areas of the print industry, who shared insights into career development and professional experiences within a traditionally male-dominated sector.
Mr Felton said: “I’m truly honoured to receive the 2025 Girls Who Print Ally Award. We were delighted to initiate a partnership with Deborah Corn this year, and to us, this is just the beginning. Girls Who Print is a truly inspirational organisation, and we look forward to seeing what is in store for our relationship in the future. This is more than just an award, it’s global recognition for the Fespa Foundation and I am proud to be accepting this on behalf of everyone who has supported us on our journey. Thank you.”
Deborah Corn, executive director of Girls Who Print, said the organisation will continue its work supporting women in print into 2026. She highlighted ongoing initiatives aimed at expanding access to education, mentorship and professional development resources, and noted the importance of industry support in sustaining and growing these programmes.
The partnership between Fespa and Girls Who Print reflects broader efforts within the print industry to address skills development, inclusion and social impact, while demonstrating the role of print technologies in supporting education and community engagement.
