Julian Stafford, Former Managing Director, Midshire

Having been in print for most of his career, Julian is a valuable addition to the judging panel. He began his career as Dealer Manager for Riso where he rose through the ranks to become National Sales Manager.

In 1997, he left Riso to set-up Midshire with friends Phil Powell and Kevin Tunley. Phil ran the Birmingham operation, while Julian headed up the northern division, which provided him with the opportunity to move back to his native Stockport. Midshire was Riso’s biggest dealer in Europe and was a major reseller for many OEMs including Panasonic, Ricoh, Toshiba and Sharp, the business also partnered with HP and Lexmark for A4 printers.

Prior to an acquisition by Sharp in 2017, the business’ annual turnover was c£35 million. Julian agreed to stay on and lead the business while it continued to operate as an independent organisation. By November 2019, Midshire had become fully integrated with Sharp’s direct operation, and Julian decided the time was right to retire and pursue other interests.

He is currently mentoring a number of SMEs, helping them to achieve strategic business goals; remains active in the commercial and residential property sectors; enjoying spending time with his family and travelling.