In memory of Harald Grumser

Harald Grumser, a co-founder of the PDF Association, passed away earlier this month. 

Those who knew him will not forget his insightful, profound, and humorous remarks with which he managed to capture the essence of a topic in a single sentence.

A PDF expert with extensive technical knowledge, Harald founded Compart, a company offering output solutions based on PDF. In 2006, Compart was a founding member of the PDF/A Competence Centre (the precursor to the PDF Association.

Harald served as Chairman of the Board from 2008 to 2010. Among his many initiatives, Harald initiated the first PDF/A conferences, including the first German PDF/A conference in Stuttgart (2007) and the first international PDF/A conference in Amsterdam (2008). Subsequent conferences were held in Berlin (2009) and Rome (2010). 

A recipient of Xplor’s Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award, Harald’s influence extended well beyond PDF technology.

His preference for directness was legendary. As Chairman of the PDF/A Competence Centre, Harald was well-known for his habit of telling his own company’s business partners that they must become members to help the organization succeed.

We miss his energy, enthusiasm and mischievous smile.