This is our sixth yearbook, and the purpose of it remains as true today as when it was first conceived. We absolutely want to celebrate the work and lives of the Tribe, our interaction with our clients and associates, but not in a stuffy, conventional corporate brochure. And the fact that for a goodly proportion of the year we have needed to rely on virtual communication makes the bond and unity of the Tribe paramount, and the importance of remaining connected and being part of something.
Year Book 2019/2020
21 Oct 20
Well, what an uneventful year. I mean apart from us setting up an Archaeology team and an Edinburgh office; restructuring two of our London-based planning teams; winning Planning Consultancy of the Year and being part of the consultant team that won Planning Permission of the Year (chapeau to teams Transport, Sustainable Development and Engagement); achieving an Award for Best Use of Art, Sport or Heritage Asset for the Illuminated River (those bright people in Team Engagement again); expanding our Economics team with the appointment of two new directors; creating a new digital platform with the launch of iSite; issuing 27 ‘Wednesday emails’ and broadcasting a similar number of our ‘When Tomorrow Comes’ vlog; establishing a new multi-skilled, forward thinking team in the shape of Iceni Futures; oh – and like everyone else, facing up to the twin-challenges of Brexit and a world-wide pandemic – nothing has happened. Still, I’m sure we’ll think of something to write about…
This is our sixth yearbook, and the purpose of it remains as true today as when it was first conceived. We absolutely want to celebrate the work and lives of the Tribe, our interaction with our clients and associates, but not in a stuffy, conventional corporate brochure. And the fact that for a goodly proportion of the year we have needed to rely on virtual communication makes the bond and unity of the Tribe paramount, and the importance of remaining connected and being part of something.
There is an inevitable pre and post COVID feel about the Yearbook, and for those of us that, for example, went on the annual Iskini trip back in January it now feels very surreal and of a different age. Like everyone, and as our vlog suggests, we look forward to when tomorrow comes, but in the meantime we are determined to make the best of the situation. We are a naturally optimistic, inquisitive bunch, and it is no coincidence that we have probably been busier this year with new initiatives than ever before.
We have taken the opportunity caused by the pandemic to stop and think about the future direction of Iceni, and we are pleased with how we find ourselves. Not blindly bouncing into 2021, but equally, not lamenting factors that are beyond our control. The next calendar year is shaping up to be one of the most profound in our professional lives, with the proposed restructuring of the Planning system compounding the national and worldwide events already described. Let’s see how we get on.
Ian Anderson
Chief Executive,Planning