George Powell FCIPP
7 December 1927 – 16 February 2021
It is withmuch sadness that the Institute records the death of its founder. It was George Powell’s drive and vision that created the first professional body for the payroll industrymore than forty years ago. The culmination and extraordinary legacy of his ambitious initiative is the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. Onemotivated person can bring about extraordinary change. Ken Pullar, CIPP chief executive officer, commented “Everyone involved in payroll owes him so much for standing up for the profession and realisingwhat a pivotal role it is within organisations.” We salute you, George!
A tribute by Gordon Cresswell FCIPP Given the right conditions it takes only a spark to ignite a fire, and fortunately for us in the payroll profession, George Powell’s letter to the Local Government Chronicle published in June 1980, was that spark which has resulted in today’s CIPP. George was angry at being treated as less worthy by his accountancy colleagues when his payroll system kept the workforce happy and provided all the statistics for the accountancy and personnel department (as human resources was called in those days) to do their jobs and take the glory. He stated quite clearly through this letter that in his opinion there should be a body representing payroll interests – and so the Association of Payroll and Superannuation Administrators was created; and the rest, as they say, is history. Whilst I was part of that early developmental thrust, I didn’t meet George at that time. He didn’t want to take part in the committee work and stayed firmly on the sidelines, keeping an eye on developments. George was an activist though, as he told me in 2017 when he spent a day in Goldfinger House to see in detail the results of his ideas. George was a personable man, instantly likeable by all who met him as he toured the CIPP office, and he kept us entertained over lunch with his payroll reminiscences. I drove him back to the station and we agreed to keep in touch, which we did by telephone calls every so often. ...in his opinion there should be a body representing payroll interests...
If there were a Payroll Hall of Fame, George would be its number one exhibit – and we must record his contribution in the annals of CIPP history. Visiting CIPP head office In May 2017, at the age of 89, George Powell accepted an invitation to visit the Chartered Institute’s office in Solihull. George’s visit was a perfect day, fittingly acknowledging the initiative he took that over time led to the formation of the CIPP. Interviewed for Professional magazine, George observed that “The merger of APSA with the IBPM [Institute of British Payroll Management] – public and private sectors – was brilliant,” adding that the “progress the industry and the CIPP has made is astounding. A great achievement.” Noting that he’d “witnessed so many changes in the industry with the introduction of technology and dedicated software, which is now a billion-pound industry globally”, George said he was “delighted to see how the CIPP has grown over the years and the level of investment in the future of the profession. “I attended a CIPP graduation ceremony a couple of years ago. All these people passing their exams was out of this world. “Payroll and pensions are enjoyable and far more interesting than other clerical jobs. I’ve encouraged people to do it.” George left his mark on colleagues at Goldfinger House, as the celebratory atmosphere surrounding his visit was uplifting. He said “This is one of the proudest days of my life. This splendid organisation gave me a day to remember.” Shortly after his visit George wrote a lovely letter of thanks to Ken Pullar and CIPP staff expressing his delight for a “perfect day”.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2021 | Issue 69 4
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