Michael Punch passes the torch to Damien Nielsen

The Australian Sign & Graphics Association has announced long-time Association office bearer and industry legend Michael Punch will retire from his active roles with the Association at the end of June, handing over his duties to Damian Nielsen as of 1 July.

Mick Harrold, ASGA President, says Punch’s retirement marks the ‘end of an era’ for the Association, with the former General Manager and current Membership & Events manager playing a ‘pivotal role’ across many years.

“Virtually every one of our members will know Michael by name and have positive memories of the many conversations and interactions they’ve had with him over the years,” Harrold says. “In many ways, he has been the face of the ASGA, and the things we have achieved over the past few years are in no small part due to his dedication.

“There will be more to say in the near future about Michael and his contribution to ASGA, but suffice to say there are few people in any industry association who have demonstrated the kind of commitment to members and the industry that Michael has done, and we are fortunate to have had his contribution for such a long time.”

Nielsen, Creative Director of Queensland consulting company INbrandigo, will take over the Membership & Events, adding to his duties as the Vice President of the ASGA for the past five years. He is the Association’s Queensland Chair and sits on its Education Committee.

Neilsen has more than 30 years of experience in the signage industry, starting with work experience, which was followed by an apprenticeship, learning everything from brushwork to fabrication and installation. Having recently stepped aside from the General Manager role at CV Media, Nielsen says he plans to balance consulting work through INbrandigo with opportunities to ‘give back’ to the industry.

“There’s no question I have very big shoes to fill, but it’s exciting to be taking on these responsibilities at such an exciting time for the Association,” Nielsen says.

“I am delighted to be stepping into this new role and very much looking forward to connecting with all our members over the coming months as we continue to roll out a busy program of webinars, events and other initiatives to support their businesses and the wider industry,” concludes Nielsen.

Nielsen can be contacted at [email protected], and for those who would like to drop Michael a line before he finishes up, he can be reached at [email protected].