The Strategic Mailing Partnership, the body which represents mailing and printing houses across the UK, has appointed a new chair to succeed Judith Donovan CBE, who is stepping back after more than 14 years in the role.
Nutshell Creative and Topic Heroes managing director Lucy Swanston takes on the position with immediate effect and brings a wealth of experience in the marketing and print industry to the role.
Donovan – the former DMA chair and Postwatch vice-chair, who has been a leading figure in the direct marketing industry since setting up her own agency JDA in 1982 – has spearheaded the group since 2008.
She oversaw its relaunch as SMP in 2016, and it now has more than 150 members. Since pledging to fight for the future of the direct mail industry, Donovan has been instrumental in settling old scores and bringing Royal Mail and its fiercest rivals Whistl, UK Mail and Secured Mail closer together.
Buckinghamshire-based Swanston has spent the past 25 years leading innovation in the marketing sector and has held multiple leadership roles at medium to large print providers and has run her own agency for the last 16 years.
Additionally, she has set up a charity designed to inspire primary aged children to write, using the power of print to facilitate this.
Swanston (pictured, left) also sits on the Independent Print Industry Association and DMA councils and is a keen advocate for the print industry.
Her vision for the SMP is to diversify the activities, to revolutionise the support the body provides for its members by championing the importance and benefits of mail, whilst working with the industry to address the key challenges that it faces.
She said: “I’m delighted to join the Strategic Mailing Partnership, an organisation that does an important job in representing the interests of the members within the printing and mailing industry.
“The SMP does a lot to highlight and address the issues faced by its members, as well as looking for new ways to try and strengthen the appeal of mail, a hugely important medium that has a positive impact on brands.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with the board and extensive membership to broaden the scope of our activity, utilising all aspects of media marketing to maximise the impact and appeal of direct marketing and customer mail campaigns, to make this industry more desirable for generations to come.”
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