I've got a passing personal interest in this story: "Incisive Media PLC, the specialist business information provider, has recommended a cash offer from Apax Summer worth 195 pence per share, valuing the group at £199m." I know FD Jamie Campbell-Harris a bit - he's been CEO Tim Weller's right-hand man for ome years and they're built the business up from virtually nothing. Now they, and COO James Hanbury, will have an 11.7 per cent stake in the busines as it goes private.
Weller started the original business, City Financial Communications, in 1994; Incisive was launched after CFC merged with Timothy Benn Publishing in 2000. But Campbell-Harris's story is our inspiration here. A CA who moved into treasury at Saatchi & Saatchi in 1994 after qualifying with PW, he became the ad giant's European financial controller in 1996 and then CFC's FC in 1998. The FD role came the following year. But that's a classic trajectory: accounting to a pure-play finance role (treasury), to a financial management role in a big company, then the same role in a smaller company in a related industry - proving his worth as a strategic partner to the entrepreneur to win the top job. Textbook.
(And well done to all on the deal!)
About Me
- Richard Young
- I've been writing about business since 1996, when I joined BusinessAge as a staff writer. After VNU bailed on the magazine, I spent 18 months - from launch to closure - as business editor on Business Computer World. I then became deputy editor at Financial Director magazine. When editor Andy Sawers was seconded to a web project, I was acting editor for six months. That resulted in me being headhunted by Caspian Publishing in 2000 to launch Real Finance magazine, also a title aimed at FDs. Since 2006 I've been a freelance writer and editor working with mags andh a number of companies on their comms. I also chair seminars and conferences for the business community and run training courses on better business writing. For three days a week I'm also the strategic editor for seven ICAEW Faculty magazines at their contract publisher PCP. These are aimed at accountants with specialisms in tax, audit, IT, financial services, corporate finance, management and reporting - so my beat remains as broad as ever.
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
No comments:
Post a Comment