Keith McMurtrie

Our CEO, Keith started out life as a video game developer, but then decided in the early ‘90s to get a proper "grown-up job" and moved into print MIS development. He joined Tharstern over 30 years ago, taking over as Managing Director in 1995 and leading a management buy-out when the original founder’s family sold the business in 2014. He's very clued up on all things related to computing and technology in the printing industry, especially integrated workflows, automation, and JDF. In fact, Keith is regularly asked to speak on these topics at industry events. So why is he brandishing an authentic Japanese samurai sword in his photo? Well, this sword was given to him by his Grandfather, who had it surrendered to him by a Japanese officer during WWII. He was such an awesome guy, a bit grumpy sometimes, but super intelligent and an amazing role model to Keith. It was his decision to buy a home computer way back in 1981 that introduced him to computing and he's never looked back.