Di Spy February 2012
I arrived back at my desk the first week of January much refreshed from a welcome Christmas break. Our team seemed invigorated too, ready to face the stream of new business enquiries that flooded in.
Within two weeks it was down to the Big Smoke for the Maggie Nally 2012 Memorial lecture, organised by the CIPR Fellows group. We gathered in the House of Lords to listen to Richard Gizbert, presenter from Al Jazeera, outline how the media is now considered the most powerful institution on earth. It was odd hearing about the twitter revolution and the Arab spring surrounded by Pugin wallpaper and inkwells.
The following Friday Cicada organised the networks launch of the York and North Yorkshire LEP in Harrogate. TED speaker Mark Earls, author of Herd, gave an interesting talk about the power of human networks. He made us all think about how we are expressions of our own networks.
On the 24th I was at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden for the launch of the VMA Group Business Leaders in Communications 2012 Study. I questioned Charlie Mayfield, executive chairman of John Lewis, about lessons the Coalition could learn, and in particular Nick Clegg’s interest with the John Lewis model. Charlie clearly outlined the benefits of a pluralistic approach to ownership, but cautioned about applying the retail model to public services.
Two days later it was off to the BBC in Portland Place for a gathering of Editorial Intelligence’s Names Not Numbers participants. Stephen Sackur, presenter of Hardtalk, gave us a taste of what’s to come in March, when more than 100 top names from media, business, politics and the arts meet in Portmeirion. It was also a pleasure to catch up with Mihir Bose, former chairman of the Reform Club, at the event.