January is nearly always a miserable month – holidays are over, the coffers are empty, you’re more likely than not on a diet, and so on. This year there is the concern about hard landing or soft, and as for those in the internet industry....
I have consoled myself with planning for the year ahead. There seems to be so much to do and so little time! The features from now until the end of the year are set: March will focus on Trade Finance, April on Cash Management, May is Securitisation, June Outsourcing, and July contains our usual feature on Careers. In the Autumn, we kick off with Compliance and Regulation, followed by Debt vs. Equity and then a Spotlight on IT and e-commerce. The December edition will include our usual Deals of the Year feature, as well as the review of 2001.
During the next couple of months, we will be looking at the nature of some of the articles and how we commission them, and hope before long to be able to provide readers with more news, information, and extra features such as book reviews. At the same time, we will be sure to keep the practical and informative articles which our readers come to expect. Due to the increasing support provided by our advertisers, we expect to be able to make more use of freelance expert journalists.
We will also be looking at some changes in the design and layout of the magazine. Long-standing members of the Association may be able to recall the look and feel of the very early editions, in 1979. The magazine certainly had a look of gravity and authority, enhanced by slightly grainy black and white pictures. That style lasted until October 1983 when colour was added to the cover, and each month had its own hue. The cover in ‘ACT blue’ came in 1996 and lasted until October 1997, when we reverted to the ‘if it’s yellow, it must be February’ option.
You may notice some small changes in layout and design this month (starting with this page) and we will be introducing gradual changes over the next few months. If you have any ideas or opinions on the nature of our articles, the design, layout and style of the magazine, please let me know. If you don’t, it will be too late to complain!
MIKE HENIGAN