Fond Farewell

October 31st marked the end of an era, with the retirement of two of Fujifilm’s longest serving Directors - Tony Lawrence and Graham Rutherford.

Graham Rutherford, who headed up Fujifilm’s Professional Products Group, leaves the Company after 21 years with Fujimex and Fujifilm.

During his time with the company, Graham was responsible for the creation of many respected initiatives including the Fujifilm School of Professional Photography, the Fujifilm Student Awards and the Fujifilm Wedding and Portrait Awards. On his career at Fujifilm, Graham commented, “To be involved in the development of the Fujifilm Professional brand right from the start was a challenge I relished. All along, there was a genuine desire from Fujifilm in Japan to make the products professionals really wanted, and with
the quality of product and a small and enthusiastic sales team, customers were not difficult to attract.”

Reflecting on his retirement, Graham said, “It is difficult to describe the emotions going through my head after 40 years in the industry. I have enjoyed my work so much, and I put that down to the people I work with and the customers I have been dealing with over the years.”

Tony Lawrence, Director of Photofinishing, also leaves Fujifilm after almost 20 years.

On joining Fujifilm, Tony set about growing colour paper sales for the company and over the last 20 years sales have continued to grow. 1985 saw the introduction of the first minilab by Fujifilm, and although very few people say the long term potential, Tony and his team started the ball rolling to the point where, today Fujifilm Frontiers dominate
the growing market worldwide.

Looking forward to his forthcoming retirement, Tony said: “I always admired Fujifilm and everything it stood for. Joining back in 1985 and helping Fujifilm attain its position as a world-class imaging company was a dream I am very proud to have been a part of. I shall miss my colleagues and friends, but with my
family scattered across the globe, I am looking forward to seeing more of them more often!”