Business News

Heidelberg mourns the loss of former divisional director John Knight

Thursday 23. December 2010 - John Knight, former Southern Division Director of Heidelberg UK, has died in Spain at the age of 73. He leaves a wife Olwen, a son Charles (who works in the industry at York Mailing) and two daughters, Simone and Tracey..

John Knight worked for Heidelberg from 1975 until his retirement in 1994, initially as Southern Division Manager but for the last two years as Southern Division Director.
Former managing director Wolfgang Gorth says: “In his work he was greatly respected and extremely good. His secret was that he knew his subject (printing and the Heidelberg press), he loved people (both his customers and the people who worked for him) but was also very competitive. You gave him a challenge and he would pick it up and run with it. He and Dennis Durham (former sales director of the company) formed a great and successful team until John retired to Spain in 1994 with his wife Olwen.”
Derek Gillard, southern sales manager of Heidelberg UK, says: “John was my mentor and was the best salesman ever. He was a passionate man, driven when he was at work and in retirement heavily involved in the Christian community and fund raising for many worthy charitable causes. The other key characteristic was his love of jokes.”
George Clarke, managing director, says: “John knew his craft from the bottom up, having been a printing apprentice and a plate maker before switching to sales on the supplier side. He was old school but creative in the way he put deals together to enable printers to buy a Heidelberg which they could otherwise not afford. Socially he was always good company.”
Donations in memory of John Knight are in aid of The Alzheimer’s Charity, an illness John’s mother suffered with for many years – thankfully he did not. The site link is

http://www.justgiving.com/simone-pinnington