ICMA Announces Board of Directors with Gaze on Future

PRINCETON, N.J., May 31, 2016 -- The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), a global trade association for card manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers, has announced its 2016 board of directors who hail from around the world.

The 2016 board of directors includes, principal members from North America: President Keith Yeates of Bristol ID Technologies; Vice President Barry Mosteller of CPI Card Group; Board Member Karen Brooker of ABnote USA; principal members from Europe: Board Member Thomas Tarantino, Giesecke & Devrient; and Board Member Michael Dorner of Variuscard; and Associate Board Members Brian Summerhayes of Barnes International and Chuck Pilsy of Kurz Group; and Personalizer Board Member Jim Cooney of CPS Cards.

"What a great industry and Association to be a part of — the card and personalization business continues to grow and the technology innovations making cards more secure and smarter are really exciting," said Board President Yeates. "I am looking forward to reconnecting with the friends and associates I have made by being part of this organization at the rebranded regional events CardTREX in September and October."

"ICMA is continuing to grow, to network and to advance into the future with vision and enthusiasm," said Jeffrey Barnhart, ICMA founder and executive director. "CardTREX is a regional journey for card education as we move into the future."

Formerly known as the ICMA North American Workshop and the EuroForum, CardTREX North America and CardTREX Europe are offering the same exceptional regional learning experience the industry has come to expect from ICMA but with some enhanced features.

"As the industry evolves with new and emerging technologies, as well as rising markets, every company and individual is faced with evaluating their strategy for moving forward," Barnhart said. "CardTREX is our way of delivering greater education and networking opportunities."

In April, the ICMA EXPO co-located for the first time with the Smart Card Alliance, resulting in a trade show with more than 750 attendees and 100 exhibitors.

"I felt the partnership with SCA took the EXPO to another level," said Board President Yeates. "I can't wait to be part of this again in 2017."

For more than a quarter century, the ICMA EXPO has served as a fusion meeting place for industry professionals to connect, network and discuss changing technologies, developments and products.

Earlier this year, ICMA released its 2015 Global Card Market and Personalization and Fulfillment Statistics Reports—a source of valuable card industry data generated from primary and secondary research and statistical modeling created by Al Vrancart, ICMA founder emeritus and industry advisor.

The global card industry continues to provide growth opportunities," Vrancart stated. "The report revealed that the card industry brought in $26.5 billion in revenues equating to the production of 35.1 billion cards in 2015."

About ICMA

Based in Princeton Junction, NJ, ICMA is a non-profit association of card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers and related industry participants. With more than 240 members globally, ICMA acts as a resource for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental issues of cards. More information is available at www.icma.com.

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