Well, the day has arrived that I am sure many prayed for and I thought may never come. I am standing down as publisher of Funds Europe and I shall leave the company on April 30, 2021.
As the founder of Funds Europe along with Fiona Rintoul nearly 20 years ago, it has always been my baby and as a result, I always knew I would have to pass it on. I sold the business in December 2017 to Camradata Analytical Services, part of Punter Southall, to bring together an enhanced offering for our clients.
Over the last ten years in particular – certainly since the global financial crisis of 2008 – life has constantly changed at Funds Europe, away from traditional print media, and towards events, digital, research and – through Camradata – the provision of data. These innovations have ensured we survived the Covid crisis and allowed us to develop closer relationships with clients. Life is less about selling products now, and more about solving problems.
The timing of my departure is also appropriate, not because of Covid, but because we established the publication initially to access the single market of the EU as the cross-border funds industry grew. It is therefore maybe appropriate that I stand down as publisher on the day we leave the EU. Alas, this is not a protest, just a co-incidence, but certainly a salient one.
As I leave in April 2021, I will be doing some bits and pieces as I am not ready to put on my Bermuda shorts (I don’t have any!) and travel the world. Some would say maybe I should stay in one place just for the experience.
I leave the “publication” in safe hands with Nick Fitzpatrick and David Wright taking over as co-publishers. I wish them great success and I hope they have the same pleasure and enjoyment that I have had.
I would obviously like to thank a number of people who have helped create the business and given me so much fun. When I say ‘fun’, that masks the many crises that we have been through as markets collapsed and the world changed. There has been some pain, but in the course of it, I also came across some key supporters who played an important role in ensuring we survived and thrived. A huge thank you to our great clients.
I would like to thank our three editors, Fiona Rintoul (our founding editor), Sophia Grene and Nick Fitzpatrick, our current editor. Without them and their creativity, I am sure we would not be here. I am so thrilled to see Fiona Rintoul as an award-winning author who is currently finishing her latest book.
In terms of my business colleagues, I obviously must thank Andrew Chesney, who was my business partner when we bought Funds Europe out, and David Wright, our head of business development. Their commitment, enthusiasm and hard work have made them fantastic sounding-boards, innovators – and wonderful travel partners!
Lastly, all my colleagues past and present: Lucy Erikson, our art director, Nik Pratt, Michael, Steve and Paula, along with a former colleague, Iain Macarthur. Also, my new colleagues at Camradata and Punter Southall – too many to mention, but I will highlight Sean Thompson, managing director at Camradata.
My biggest thank you must be to all of you, as without you there is no reason for us to be here. Thank you for your support. Please continue that with Nick and David going forward.
As an industry, please continue innovating, changing, developing, pushing. I think that changes in transparency, ESG, technology, governance and products give us much hope for the future.
Only two things remain: always remember to look after the investor – but have some fun doing it!
Alan Chalmers, co-founder & publisher of Funds Europe
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