Mike Nicholas 23 June 1951 – 10 July 2022
Gordon Creswell FCIPP pays tribute to Mike Nicholas, the previous editor of Professional , who made the magazine what it is today
N ews of Mike’s passing on 10 July 2022 so soon after his retirement through ill-health, was received with great sorrow by all at Goldfinger House and beyond. He had suffered with motor neurone disease, an illness he bore with dignity and stoicism. Mike had been the editor of this magazine since 2009, with a brief break, until his retirement through ill- health last year. It was a vocation he loved and he delivered to the highest level of quality, providing the payroll, pensions and rewards industry with a shopwindow to the larger world. Often imitated but never bettered, our magazine is revered by sister organisations throughout the developed world, and while others had instigated and developed the magazine, it took a leap of quality under Mike’s hand. His approach to journalism was underpinned by his eye for detail and accuracy, with a firm but respectful approach to the authorities affecting payroll, pensions and reward. His pen was critical but never spiteful or unjust. Working closely with HMRC over the years, I was aware from conversations that it kept a weather eye on the magazine to gauge the reactions of our members to events and Mike was seldom refused a quote. It’s obvious you’re getting something right when deputy chief executive of HMRC, Angela McDonald CBE asks for her letter to the profession be published in May 2021, thanking the payroll industry for its work during the pandemic. Mike and I go back to the very formative years of our organisation when it was the British Payroll Managers’ Association. He was working for another fledgling payroll organisation and had been enrolled by them to ‘keep an eye’ on our progress. We
were run by a committee and had open national meetings. This meant intelligence gathering wasn’t difficult, but Mike had great difficulty when asked by his organisation to vote against our annual accounts, which meant they couldn’t be passed as I had not called the annual general meeting within the legal time limits. This gave Mike a real problem because he was a man of great integrity, a virtue lacking in today’s society, and this caused him a crisis of conscience, something he and I discussed over the years. We respected each other and cooperated over many years. While mainly working from his home in Brighton, Mike reported to business development director, Vickie Graham DipM ACIM ACIPP, who said, “I had the pleasure of working with Mike directly in his capacity of editor of Professional magazine from 2009 until he retired in 2021. Mike was professional and extremely knowledgeable. His understanding of complex legislation and the impact on payroll professionals was second to none, while his ability to create sound technical content and a high-quality magazine which was relevant to the industry was amazing. As well as knowing Mike in his role, I got to know Mike well over the years. After his retirement, he took up art as a hobby and shared some of his pieces with me, as well as stories of how Brighton and Hove were doing in the Premier League. Mike’s legacy will live on in the magazine and he will be dearly missed”. Sad news travels quickly, and colleagues were eager to speak of Mike as they knew him. Julie Northover, ChFCIPPdip, consultant, remembered, “Whenever I wrote anything for the magazine Mike was always complimentary about the content. I found him meticulous, unassuming,
respectful and a gentleman. It was a pleasure working with him”. Ken Pullar, CIPP chief executive officer, said, “In the many years I knew Mike he had a real passion for all things payroll. His stewardship of Professional magazine was exemplary, and in my wide portfolio of responsibilities, his task of providing a quality magazine was the least of my worries. A strong minded, yet humble man and he will be sadly missed”. The most used phrases about working with Mike relate to his unassuming nature, his readiness to help and the unbiased approach to his work, together with the level of respect that he both gave and received. His humour was subtle, and his wry smile often preceded his comments. It won’t be the same at Conference without him wandering around, taking in the ambience, and making notes for the next issue, catching up with the cream of the payroll world. Mike loved a quotation, so it’s fitting to include a couple of relevant ones – the author Moira Rogers said, “The two hardest things to say are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last”. I remember both occasions with Mike – the first at a very early national meeting and the latter during a phone call when I called to say goodbye. I always thought Mike would write my obituary, but it wasn’t to be. As Kehlog Albran (pseudonym for authors Martin A. Cohen and Sheldon Shacket, 1973) said, “Even the best of friends cannot attend each other`s funeral”. I will leave the last word to Lora Murphy ACIPP, Mike’s worthy successor, “I admire Mike’s work and as a journalist recognise good work when I see it. I feel the Professional magazine has been entrusted to me to carry on with the highest of standards”.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2022 | Issue 84 18
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