EFI chief executive Guy Gecht, and strong print industry advocate, will receive 57th annual Walter E. Soderstrom Award for his leadership and service to the industry.
The USA-based award presentation, run by industry association Idealliance, will take place in September in Chicago, the evening before the opening of the Print 2017 show.
A tireless worker and promoter of the graphics arts industry, Gecht’s award points to the influence EFI has in the US and global print industry and to how the industry continues moving toward digital dominance. David Steinhardt, president and chief executive officer of Idealliance, says, “Guy Gecht has a distinguished record of leadership in our industry and an unparalleled dedication to its progress and technological innovation. He is a singularly worthy recipient of this significant honour.”
Idealliance says of Gecht: “Known for his insight and strong vision of the printing industry’s future, Guy Gecht has helped redefine the ways printing companies pursue new markets and refine their production operations and has guided EFI to become one of the industry’s most successful publicly traded companies.”
Gecht joined EFI in 1995 and served in a variety of management and engineering roles, including company president, before becoming chief executive officer in January 2000. From 1996 to 1999, he led engineering efforts for its largest product line and became vice president, general manager of EFI’s Fiery Servers Division. He led his team to dramatically expand EFI’s server product line, launching more than 35 products in 1998 alone.
He has received a number of other accolades including the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts Michael H. Bruno Award for his dedicated service and contributions to the advancement of the global graphic arts industry; also named a Legend of Silicon Valley in 2013 by the Frost & Sullivan Institute and a 2015 Game Changer by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from Ben Gurion University in Israel.
