Speaking out
By the time you are reading this, those of you who frequent such events will have returned from the FIDI conference in Dubrovnik and the OMNI conference in Montenegro. I trust you all had a wonderful time, learned something, and perhaps did enough business to pay for the cost of going. Though I fall squarely into the school of thought that maintains attendance at these events is a long-term investment. Those who look for quick returns rather miss the point.
Welcome to our May issue. Those of you who are regular readers will recognise my ‘button-pushing’ style in the story on page 34 about DE&I. I know it’s controversial, and I have done what I can to give it some balance, but I don’t pretend to disguise my own views on the subject. I hope those who feel differently respect my right to believe what I do, as I respect their right to the same. As I say in the story, however, it would be nice if more people were prepared to speak up, whichever side of the argument they sit.
Following that thought, I was also delighted to interview Simon Hood from John Mason this month. Judging by the number of awards the company has won in the last few months, Simon has done a remarkable job since buying the family firm just four years ago. I was intrigued to find out how he’d done it. Many of you will know Simon to be very open: he says what he thinks and is happy to stand by his opinions. That comes across strongly in the interview I feel. He’s also dedicating a lot of his time to the industry as a whole, which, though not an entirely selfless process, does return its benefits slowly. Those who give their time freely, largely for the benefit of others, do so partly for the recognition it provides, but mainly out of altruism – the desire to give something back. I applaud them all.
Finally, I wanted to mention the passing of Pope Francis at Easter. I finished reading his autobiography only a few days before he died. I am not a religious person, but I was nonetheless struck by his humanity, his dedication to others and his inclusiveness. Seems a shame that he couldn’t pass on more of those qualities to others during his time with us. Maybe his successor will.