appointments 
Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, announced the winners of its four prestigious awards during Xplor 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Russell Thurlow of Exchequer Printing located in Melbourne, received the prestigious Xplor International Chairman’s Award. This award recognises an individual for a lifetime of contributions as a volunteer of Xplor, and as a leader in the electronic document systems industry. Thurlow established Xplor’s first virtual chapter, the Security Printing Chapter (SPC). The SPC program is devoted entirely to the needs of the international security printing community, where membership is not by geographic location but by special interests.

Thurlow has more than 35 years of experience working in the security printing industry. From managing cheque personalisation at Barclays Bank in the UK to directing the security document future for CPE Australia. His background encompasses many different types of value document, from cheques to credit cards to driver licenses. He has been involved with the development of non-impact MICR printing over the past 22 years. First, at the conceptual and formative stage; later as a developer, beta tester; and finally, user of a number of different types of electronic printing systems. For many years he was the Xplor representative on APCA’s Document Printing Standards committee and currently sits on Xplor’s Association Board of Directors.

The 2003 Innovator of the Year Award was given to edotech Limited, UK. The award is given to a business for an imaginative application of current technology, establishment of industry direction or development of a new technology that significantly enhances the capabilities of electronic document systems. edotech developed a statement and loyalty check application which improved customer satisfaction, reduced operational costs and maximised Océ laser printing technology to provide increased security in the process of managing "open" checks.

edotech Limited was conceived in 1993 as a technology venture for the Barclays Group, to meet the bank’s need for digital document printing services and subsequently engineered an MBO in May 2000. Now, as edotech Limited, the largest independent service bureau in Europe, the resulting rich heritage of technical expertise, knowledge and experience is available to other organisations wanting not just specialised laser printing services, but transactional document processing and complete customer communications solutions that deliver results in both inbound and outbound processes.

James Shand, EDP, the commercial director of the edotech Group and the immediate past chair of Xplor International, says, "This award is a coveted prize because it is recognition by our industry peers. The development of the application also reflects much of the skills and knowledge we have in the business in delivering solutions for real business problems by thinking outside of the box. There is a vast amount of technology available today in the market and the successful players will be those who can apply that technology to address business requirements."

The Xplorer of the Year Award, Xplor’s most prestigious honour, was awarded to Paul Cornelisse of Siemens Nederland N.V. and president of Xplor’s Dutch Chapter. The Xplorer of the Year recognises an Xplor member for his or her contributions to the association during the past year for outstanding service, dedication to the Xplor mission and outstanding achievement to further the interests of the electronic document systems industry. Under Cornelisse’s leadership in the Xplor Dutch Chapter, attendance at its annual document event has grown by more than 200 percent in three years and attracted nearly 40 exhibitors and 14 corporate sponsors.

Johan Hooglander, EDP, of ADP Nederland B.V., was honoured with Xplor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to an individual for many years of extraordinary service and achievements within the electronic document systems industry and the Xplor International community. Hooglander’s contributions to the organization and the industry overall are numerous. He has served on the Xplor Association Board of Directors for the past six years, is the treasurer for the European Region and the Dutch Chapter and has successfully mentored 11 Dutch EDP candidates in achieving their EDP status. Hooglander created the Dutch and German Chapters and served on many European Conference committees.

"I was surprised and honoured to received this prestigious award. I have helped to make Xplor a place were people can get education and network with their peers," says Hooglander. "I thank all that made Xplor a community of the electronic document industry. Special thanks goes to my employer ADP for allowing me the time to do the volunteer work."

Hooglander is in charge of the Technical Services, Support and Research by ADP Nederland, a daughter of Automatic Data Processing Inc. out of Roseland, NJ. After his study he worked in the electronic data processing field as a programmer and system analyst for a supermarket chain, a mail-order house and an insurance company. He immigrated to Canada and worked seven years as a system programmer and a procurement officer for the Canadian Taxation department.

For 28 years, he has been responsible for researching, purchasing, installing and maintaining the large-scale computer complex and printers as well as the system software at ADP in the Netherlands. ADP is one of the largest independent computer service bureaus, specialising in processing payroll for employers. His almost 40 years’ experience in the automation field made him a critical user of data processing equipment, electronic document systems and software.