Neil Felton, CEO of FESPA, has been awarded the 2025 Girls Who Print Ally Award in recognition of his leadership of the FESPA Foundation and its Print for Good initiative. Launched earlier this year, the FESPA Foundation mobilises exhibitors at FESPA events to produce printed educational resources for schools in South Africa and other underserved communities, demonstrating how print can create meaningful social impact while supporting safer learning environments.

The Girls Who Print Ally Award acknowledges individuals who actively use their influence to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the print and graphic communications industries. In presenting the award, Girls Who Print highlighted Felton’s ability to galvanise the global print community around a shared purpose, leveraging the power of print to benefit education while inspiring broader industry engagement.

Girls Who Print, led by executive director Deborah Corn, is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the careers of women in print. Through education, mentorship, and networking, the organisation promotes a more inclusive and forward-looking industry. FESPA formally partnered with Girls Who Print at FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 in Berlin, where GWP hosted speaker sessions and a networking lunch as part of the SmartHub conference programme, providing a platform for female leaders to share insights and career experiences.

Felton said he was honoured to receive the award and described the partnership with Girls Who Print as the beginning of a longer journey. He noted that the recognition reflects the collective efforts behind the FESPA Foundation and Print for Good initiative. Deborah Corn added that Girls Who Print will continue to expand its career development initiatives in 2026 through programmes such as the Advancement Resource Center and The Print University, supported by industry partners' ongoing commitment.