Wednesday 2nd September

So we are into September and the nights are rapidly getting shorter and soon the C word will be upon us. No, not Companies Act. The other C word - I notice Debenhams were selling C related items this weekend!!! However, I want to celebrate a different birthday (even I am wincing at that link). It is 10 years ago today that ICC took ownership of, and started using, the Companies House Fiche Library from our office in Cardiff.

The weekend of the move was a challenging one. Firstly, I arrived late for the pre-move work on Friday evening (a bit too long in the pub if truth be told watching Liverpool in the Super Cup or something equally mundane). The move took place over Saturday / Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday and in three shifts; day, twilight and night, at both the London and Cardiff end. I was leading a team that included friends and my wife (I recall this as a pretty tense experience as telling my wife what to do is just impossible). There were tears and tantrums (mainly mine) but the entire move was very successful. We finished early, no Fiche were lost in the river Severn, and people started to use the library from 8am on the Tuesday post bank holiday.

I remember at the time many people had many thoughts about what ICC had done. Some thought it would destroy the 'company search' business. Others thought we would abuse our 'London based' monopoly position. Others even suspected the purchase was a done deal (which it certainly was not) rather than a genuine tender because the tender suited us in terms of location. The reality was that none of the above was true. But it did make people re-think: what was possible in terms of document packages; how they could be delivered; who ultimately requests information; and how that could save time and money for professional firms in areas such as Accountancy, Legal and Investment & Retail Banking.

When a big change happens it is natural to think that the impact will be immediate. It is more likely that the change will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and the impact is felt over the long term not the short term. It seems to me that gradual change has a more lasting impact and ultimately is better for all. I seem to recall from history lessons at school that not all revolutions bring about fundamental change in the long run (I emphasise the 'not all' at this point - I know many will be able to argue that some revolutions do/have worked).

So, at the end of the day, (football saying No. 15 in my 1980 Shoot
annual) the introduction of the Companies Act, the work we are doing and all the other elements that are going on besides add up to evolution. Do not be surprised if, on day one, nothing happens and you feel no different. In many ways the effort we have put in is to ensure that is exactly how you feel. But you will notice things over time and I am confident that these will be of great benefit.

So Happy Birthday Micro Fiche Library. You have aged well, with plenty of life in you yet!