BRIXEN, Italy – Durst, the global leader in industrial inkjet printing applications, has appointed Christoph Gamper as Chief Executive Officer of Durst Phototechnik AG and all of its subsidiaries. Gamper assumed his new responsibilities this month. He succeeds Dr. Richard Piock, who was in charge of the company for more than 20 years and was instrumental in restructuring Durst as the leading producer of industrial inkjet technologies. Dr. Piock has joined the Board of Directors as President of Durst Phototechnik AG.

In addition to its head office and industrial production site in Brixen, Italy (South Tyrol), Durst Phototechnik AG encompasses Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH, the research and production facility in Lienz, Austria (East Tyrol), and various sales & service offices in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India.

“We are very happy to have found a worthy successor to Dr. Richard Piock and his outstanding achievements,” said Christof Oberrauch, representative of Durst’s owner family and outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors of Durst Phototechnik AG.  “Under Dr. Piock, Durst managed the transition to a globally leading producer of industrial inkjet applications. It is now Christoph Gamper’s task to continue this development, to access new markets and to advance our internationalization. In tune with the motto ‘think globally, act locally,’ we are very pleased to have found Christoph Gamper, who is a local Southern Tyrolean with strong leadership qualities, and who has gained international experience by successfully managing globally active companies.”

The change at the top of Durst Phototechnik AG had been planned well in advance. Since July 2011, Gamper, also named the company’s Executive Vice President, has been responsible for the industrial segments of Durst Phototechnik AG and the organization and development of the new textile division.

Gamper, who is a passionate photographer, was born in South Tyrol in 1970. Growing up in South Tyrol, he acquired the basics of business management at the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), and later refined his strategic, technological and international marketing expertise at the Boston Business School.

Prior to his career at Durst, Gamper was European Managing Director and then Vice President of the colorimetry company Datacolor AG. In Zurich and New York, he was responsible for developing the company's European business activities, and later for the division's global expansion. Other stepping stones included managerial positions with kdg AG (production and sales of optical data media) and Koch Media, the leading media production and distribution company. Before his move to Zurich and New York, Gamper started his career with a Tyrol-based company, the Athesia GmbH.

“I am very happy to be given the chance to incorporate my international experience here at Durst, and to advance the adaptation of high-end technologies in different industries,” Gamper said.  “We have the technological know-how and the innovative drive, and we will continue to expand our presence in the international markets. We will continuously develop our corporate culture, aiming to create technological innovations that optimize the value added for our global customer base and provide it with a competitive edge. South Tyrol and high-end technology is our origin; internationalization is our future.”