Neil Felton, CEO of print industry body Fespa, has won an award from Girls Who Print for his contribution to helping communities around the world.
He received the 2025 Girls Who Print Ally Award for his leadership of the Fespa Foundation which was launched to galvanize the print industry into turning surplus event materials into educational resources for schools in underserved areas.
Girls Who Print, the network dedicated to advancing the careers of women in the print and graphic communications industry, also recognised the achievements of three women for their work in the industry.
It gave awards to Tara Seth and Mackenzie Griffin, students from Ferris State University in Michigan in the US and co-hosts of the Talk More Print podcast, and Ayanfeoluwa Ibitoye, managing partner of Nigerian print company Printstreet and regional director of Girls Who Print Africa.
Originating in the US, Girls Who Print was launched into the UK and the rest of Europe this year at Fespa Global Print Expo in Berlin.
Girls Who Print’s latest initiative is the launch of the Advancement Resource Center (ARC), a structured framework designed to support career development for women in the print industry at every stage.
ARC brings together access to subject matter experts, on-demand education through The Print University, and the community and career support that help members build skills, expand knowledge and move forward with confidence.
Through ARC, members can gain practical tools, expert insight, mentorship connections, collaboration opportunities and professional resources that align with the real needs of women working across every segment of the print and graphic communications industry.
Deborah Corn, executive director of Girls Who Print, said: “Our mission continues in 2026 with a structured framework that supports women in print throughout their careers.”
“The ARC and Print University strengthen that mission by expanding access to experts, education, skill building, mentorship and professional development that help women advance on their own terms.”
Girls Who Print explained that the Ally Award for Neil Felton was for “demonstrating how print can uplift communities, create safer learning environments and inspire global engagement far beyond the page”.
Ahead of its launch, the Fespa Foundation redirected nearly 1,400 kilograms of printed materials to five schools in Africa in 2024, providing posters, rulers, T-shirts and learning tools that supported more than 850 students.
Speaking at the Girls Who Print conference in November, Neil said the initiative was expanding to more regions including Brazil, Mexico and Malawi.
Thanking Girls Who Print for his Ally Award, he said: “I’m truly honoured to receive the 2025 Girls Who Print Ally Award. We, the Fespa team, 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.”
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