Oki Australia has announced the appointment of Chris Thorley as Oceania Marketing Manager.

The newly established role follows the formation of Oki Australia in December last year and Thorley will be responsible for marketing activity in both the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“In New Zealand this will continue to be leveraged through the Oki and Comworth relationship,” said the company in a release. Comworth has been the New Zealand distributor for Oki since 1983.

Thorley said there's a lot of synergy between what the firm is offering in both markets and hopes his appointment will enhance the IT dealer channel as the print market matures.

“It is an exciting time for Oki,” said Thorley, “as there is a lot of activity around new product release and development, together with the changing landscape of managed print services through the IT dealer channel, which is well suited to Oki’s range and position."

Thorley will relocate to Sydney next month but expects to return to New Zealand on a frequent basis.

He added that the short term goal is to raise the awareness of the brand within selected business markets and to increase Oki's footprint in the IT dealer channel with improved product and loyalty offerings.