March 26, 2008 – Mobile, AL and Duiven, The Netherlands – To broaden its support for resellers and key accounts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Xanté Europe today announces the appointment of three key account managers. These new sales leaders, whose role is to further develop the partner channel in their respective territories - Brigitte Kootstra in Africa, Lucia Fucci Hart in Southern Europe and Brian Slee in the UK and Middle East - report to Xanté Corporation director of sales and marketing for Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Loretta Castello.
 
"Following the introduction of multiple new products at recent industry events, we're experiencing increased demand for Xanté CTP and other products in the U.K., on the European Continent, India, the Middle East and in Africa," says Scott Reese, senior vice president of worldwide sales. "Therefore, one of our main objectives this year is to expand our channels in these regions."

"Each of our three new key account managers - Kootstra, Fucci and Slee - brings a wealth of experience in their respective territories and have equally strong track records in both sales and customer relations," says Reese. "We look forward to them leveraging this experience in our behalf, to further strengthen and expand our ability to support current and new customers."

Brigitte Kootstra, Africa – Market Looking for Full Range of Xanté Products
In Africa, the full range of Xanté solutions are in demand. According to Castello, the popular Impressia and PlateMaker lines; Ilumina digital press; VM series violet metal platesetters and the SpeedSetter series of polyester imaging systems; as well as award-winning OpenRIP Symphony workflow software – all offer high value and features ideal for this marketplace.

Brigitte Kengne Tabue Kootstra, originally from Cameroon, brings to Xanté her extensive background in sales, purchasing and logistics. Prior to joining Xanté Europe, she held positions with Nestle in Africa, Nigeria Promotion Ltd. in Africa, Andira in Vietnam, Tatung in the Netherlands, Eurac in the Netherlands, DHL in the Netherlands and Eurac/Seco in France.
 
Lucia Fucci Hart, Southern Europe – The Market is Hot for the Ilumina Color Digital Press
Southern European sales continue to increase with Spain representing one of the fastest growing markets for Xanté solutions. Customers in this region are benefiting from Xanté high resolution digital color presses including the Ilumina.

Lucia Fucci Hart, a native of Italy, honed her sales and customer relationship skills at several international companies. Prior to joining Xanté, she served as a sales manager for an information security company in the credit/debit card industry. In this capacity she was responsible for European sales of software for implementing anti-fraud requirements endorsed by Visa, MasterCard, JCB and Diners.
 
Brian Slee, United Kingdom – Xanté CTP & APPE Workflow are Key
In the UK, Xanté CTP and workflow solutions continue to be the leading choice among small and mid-sized printers interested in high-end features, functionality and affordability. Xanté CTP solutions are driven by OpenRIP Symphony, an Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) workflow with support for Adobe PostScript 3, and offering a multi-task, multi-device workflow designed to increase prepress production and drive all the PostScript and TIFF-in devices in the shop. Additionally, the UK continues to be a strong market for the Ilumina digital color press, which is capable of producing oversized, double thick cover weights.

Brian Slee joined Xanté Europe in January 2007. His strong sales background includes positions in both the office supplies and financial management markets. In the office supplies sector, he worked in new business development for French companies Guilbert and later, Lyreco. Slee has lived three years in Saudi Arabia.  His understanding of the culture of that region puts him in a strong position to capitalize on the market potential that Xanté feels can be developed further.