Goodbye to 200 years of talent!

I returned to Cambridgeshire today to say goodbye to some old colleagues who have taken the latest restructure as an opportunity to try new ventures.  As I listened to the tributes, it dawned on me that at that moment Cambridgeshire and the profession had lost more than 200 years of talent and experience.  It’s not just a numbers game when we talk about the loss of front line officers from trading standards services, it’s the knowledge that those officers take with them.   Local government needs to take care that young officers still have the support and guidance available to help their development.  As an Institute we need to find ways of engaging with the recently retired, so that their talents are still available to us and the profession.

On a positive note it was good to see old colleagues.  More pleasing is that the fact that my departure has opened up the chance of promotion to a couple of the old team – so there are still opportunities out there!

Building up my network

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Finance and Leasing Association annual dinner in London.  It's important as an Institute we work closely with organisations like the FLA to help them create a vibrant and competent trade sector.  Against the magnificent backdrop of the Grosvenor House Hotel I was able to hear from the Chairman of the FLA, Philip Ross, about a sector in good health and supporting other parts of UK PLC and from Martin Wheatley about the approach the new Financial Conduct Authority will take to regulation.  These evenings also provide a great opportunity to network – so I find myself slightly bleary eyed today but sending messages to new contacts (and hopefully friends!).   

Think Jessica

Many people will be aware of the think Jessica campaign.  For those that aren't, the campaign was started by Marilyn Baldwin in 2007 after her mother was hounded through the last years of her life by postal scams.  They now work and campaign on behalf of victims and their families to raise awareness of the issues surrounding postal scams.  The Institute has long been a supporter of Think Jessica and when we were approached to support the campaign to have Jessica Scam Syndrome recognised as a medical condition we did so without any hesitation.  After all protecting the vulnerable from scams has to be a core plank of our profession.  You can find out more about this worthy organisation and their campaign at http://www.thinkjessica.com

1st Week

On Monday 18^th Feb I took my first steps into the world of employment outside local government.   The levels of excitement had grown over my last couple of weeks in Cambridgeshire but on the Sunday evening I found myself nervously making sure that I had everything ready for the next day – including a mad panic trying to find my passport – like a school boy getting ready for the first day of term!!  Arriving at the office I had a million and one questions, but as the new Chief Executive I’m sure the staff had a million and one questions for me.  The first week was the usual – induction, how the tea club works, being introduced to people then desperately trying to remember their names when you bump into them next.

As it turns out I needn’t have been that nervous.  The team at TSI have been very welcoming and friendly, are clearly hard working and ready for the challenges ahead – all fantastic traits.  So at the end of week one the nerves are gone, replaced by a real sense of excitement.