It's time to take stock and set out priorities

Apparently, more babies are born in a recession than in good times, because people take stock of their lives and decide to start doing their bit to repopulate the earth. I have no idea if this is true, but I have taken the decision to leave Financial Director magazine after three and a half years – not to spout, but rather to repopulate my brain with some new experiences and information. I’m going to university.

It’s recession maths behind the decision. I joined Financial Director weeks after the run on Northern Rock signalled incoming economic crisis, and watching friends and family swiftly lose their livelihoods made me save carefully for my own rainy day. Then I got older and felt more keenly the sense that time is precious, and opportunities to do things I would be proud of needed taking – soon. I had been thinking of ways to study Latin American economies ever since I have travelled and worked there. And just when I decided to look into studying formally, the government decided to allow universities to raise fees, expediting the decision to follow a Master’s degree while still affordable.

Leaving this magazine and the FD community is a wrenching decision. But none of us can afford to rest on our laurels in this age of austerity. Knowledge is power, in London or Lima. So this is my final issue of Financial Director and I leave it in better shape than ever, fit for the 21st century and in touch with ever-more FDs.

It has been my pleasure and privilege to edit this magazine and meet so many FDs. I have listened carefully to them all, some of whom have left finance for other experiences that will prove vital feathers in the cap, in a world that demands of us unprecedented sophistication and flexibility. In a way, their decisions influenced my own – and those individuals will continue to influence the trajectory of business from the front.