Craig Dower faces a major challenge as the new chief executive of Salmat , with the company, best known for its direct mail operations, fighting to expand its digital operations in marketing and customer engagement.

About 40 per cent of Salmat’s earnings used to come from its business process outsourcing division, which printed and distributed bills and ­statements for major banks, telecommunications companies and utility ­providers. But the group changed direction significantly when it sold BPO in 2012 for $375 million to Japan’s Fuji Film Holdings.