Page 18 - Print21 Magazine May-June 2022

Print Business
other executives departing, while Matthew’s sister, businesswoman Annalise Andrews, has reinforced the family presence on the board, including in her responsibilities
a specific mandate as director of People & Culture, and father Stephen continues his role as mentor to the next generation. “We have a fantastic family history in print and the opportunity that I have to work with Annalise now to take Kwik Kopy on its next phase of growth is really satisfying. Annalise brings skills
and strengths that work really well alongside how I operate. We are more effective together, and it’s fun."
“We didn’t lose any store on account of Covid. Most of our businesses have traded through. Now there’s clear evidence the business is coming back very well.”
Premier
Matthew is energised in his new role as chairman, and is abundantly confident in the choice of Sonia Shwabsky as the new CEO. “It is a really important partnership. For
us, Sonia’s recent experience leading ecommerce and digital marketing innovation in our industry is seriously valuable. Even more so is her experience and understanding of our relationship-based sales model.
I think the passion and openness of the Kwik Kopy family matches well with Sonia’s own energy, and Kwik Kopy will be a place where Sonia will shine as chief executive.”
Review and reset
Even at 59, there is still an almost youthful enthusiasm about Penfold. Despite stepping down as the Kwik Kopy CEO himself 20 years ago to run his own recruitment businesses, his passion for printing and the printing industry has not dimmed.
“I love the print business, particularly from where we see it. It’s about helping other businesses tell their story. And when you’re helping businesses tell their story, first of all, they love telling their story, I love hearing their story and I get a great deal of joy out of helping them tell that story as beautifully and as passionately as they do. That’s what we’re all about at Kwik Kopy.”
Tempering the idealism is a seasoned pragmatism fired in the furnace of 25 years of corporate life. He is initiating a sweeping strategic, ‘whole of business’ review..
.../continued on page 20
family of print
The Penfold family is now into its fif h generation of Sydney print participation. With Matthew Penfold taking on the role as chairman of the Kwik Kopy franchise, one of the largest in the country, a tradition is being revitalised with new energy and goals. As he steers the group, and his own print store, towards a revitalised future, he shares with Patrick Howard his ambitions.
Going public with metrics of planned growth is a risky business, especially in such an uncertain time as our Covid present.
Once a stake is placed in the ground people can be held to account for any failure to deliver, even for the most ambitious target. Matthew Penfold is a seasoned executive who is aware of the consequences of going public with aspirations for the family's Kwik Kopy franchise group. Even so, taking a deep breath across the table in a North Sydney coffee shop, he declares himself.
“We believe we can increase the 18 Print21 MAY/JUNE 2022
number of Kwik Kopy stores across Australia by fifty per cent over five to eight years,” he said.
It’s a vaulting ambition by any measure, especially in light of the relative stagnation in the sector over the past couple of decades. For most of that time, the Kwik Kopy franchise business, the second largest in the country after Snap, held a steady 90-plus stores count.
Matthew assumed the chairmanship from his father, Stephen Penfold, at a time when
the family decided a new strategy was required. A leadership change is underway with CEO David Bell and
Above
Ambitious for the franchise: Matthew Penfold