Gordon Cresswell FCIPP, ex CIPP boardmember, acknowledgesMike Nicholas as he retires, and his contribution to themagazine
T he intangibility of the payroll displays the fruits of our labour and, of course, it’s the most anticipated communication of the month for most employees. That’s our raisin d’etre . It is the payroll service’s window to the world. The same principle applies to the CIPP and our magazine, Professional . It is unvaryingly well received, always on time, precise and beautifully turned out. In fact, along with our Advisory Service, it forms the jewels of our CIPP crown. service requires punctual, accurate, presentable pay advice which From very humble beginnings in the early eighties when it was produced by Chris Williams as a very basic but informative newsletter (we had no money
in the early days, just volunteers) our magazine has developed, over the years, to the wonderful product we have today. Although many people contribute to its success, there is no doubt in my mind that the standard we enjoy today is in large part due to our retiring editor, Mike Nicholas. I have known Mike from the very early days when we set up the British Payroll Managers’ Association, now the CIPP. In those early days, Mike was cutting his teeth on the magazine for the Payroll Alliance and, he would admit, I’m sure, he was a member of our association so he could keep an eye on our development. Always supportive, but critical, when he saw how matters could be improved, I was delighted when he joined the team as editor. The magazine took an immediate leap forward in quality and content, largely because, as an ex-payroll professional, he understood the issues and had experienced the angst all of us have endured in our payroll careers. This enabled him to write with empathy, understanding and expertise. I believe he reads anything and everything to do with payroll and, more
services, that does for payroll what Harrods has done for retail. On behalf of the whole of the CIPP, I acknowledge the incredible contribution you have made, Mike, and thank you for a job well done. We are sad to see you leave and we know you will be keeping a watchful eye on the magazine’s development. We will still be requesting the occasional contribution! So, as Lora Murphy takes on the role of editor, we all wish her well and she can be assured of the valuable support of the production team under James Bartlett, the advice and mentoring of business development director, Vickie Graham, and, of course, from me, and certainly from my old friend, Mike Nicholas. And finally, Mike quoted Oscar Hammerstein in his leaving editorial: “So long, farewell, auf wierdersehen, adieu”, so by way of response I offer Robert Southey (Poet Laureate 1813-1843): “No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.” o
recently, he has developed an expert eye for pensions and reward issues. We have all seen
the splendid results of Mike’s high standard of editorship and the production of many of his own beautifully written articles – a shop window to the CIPP’s
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2021 | Issue 74 4
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