Agfa Names Mertens President of North America, Ciaramella VP of Sales for U.S.

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J.—October 30, 2015—Agfa Graphics announced that Gunther Mertens will succeed Peter Wilkens as regional president for North America. He will also be a member of the Global Graphics Management Committee (GMC). Gunther joined Agfa in 1999, and has held various positions in M&A and Finance. Since 2006, he has been the vice president and chief financial officer of Agfa Graphics' subsidiaries in the U.S. and Canada. He holds a master's degree in Business Economics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. In 2011, he became an American citizen.

Stefaan Vanhooren, Agfa Graphics' global corporate president, commented, "Gunther is a well-experienced senior executive with a proven track record in our company. He brings a broad business acumen and operations know-how, combined with a good understanding of the evolving needs of the North American printing industry."

Commenting on his new position, Mertens said, "Since the acquisition of Pitman in 2010, Agfa Graphics has served a significantly broader customer base. We will focus more on customers, providing them added value across their businesses and an excellent experience in doing business with Agfa. It is our clear intention to generate sustainable business growth, building on innovative solutions and broad relationships that we enjoy with a wide variety of excellent printing vendors."

Also effective today, Michael Ciaramella joins Agfa Graphics as its vice president, sales for the U.S. Ciaramella built his sales, marketing and professional service skills in the U.S. printing industry, including in successful management positions at HP, Eastman Kodak and Microsoft.

On the addition of Ciaramella to Agfa Graphics, Mertens said, "He has also proven credentials in creating high-performing sales teams capable of selling value-add solutions encompassing all segments of our business. We welcome him and look forward to start a successful journey."

About Agfa
The Agfa-Gevaert Group specializes in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analog and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa Healthcare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of €2,620 million in 2014.

About Agfa Graphics
Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress solutions to the printing industry. These solutions comprise consumables, hardware, software and services for production workflow, project and color management.

Agfa Graphics produces computer-to-plate and digital proofing systems for commercial and package printing and the newspaper publishing markets.

Agfa Graphics is rapidly developing its position in the new segments of industrial inkjet with comprehensive solutions for various applications such as documents, posters, banners, signage, displays, labels and packaging materials. Its experience in both imaging and emulsion technology has provided the expertise required for developing a complete assortment of high-quality inks.

About Pitman, an Agfa Company
Pitman, an Agfa Graphics company, collaborates with world class manufacturers to provide a diverse offering of the most advanced solutions for the prepress, pressroom, wide format, newspaper, packaging and commercial printing industries.

Pitman reinforces its customer-focused approach by providing the market with an unmatched distribution network, expert specialists, and unparalleled service excellence.

Together, Agfa Graphics and Pitman deliver integrated and complete solutions tailored to the ever-changing needs of the graphic communications industry, enabling businesses to produce powerful messages and be more profitable.

Source: Agfa Graphics.