HCB November 2021

Page 3

UP FRONT  01

EDITOR’S LETTER

Way back in the 20th century, when I first climbed the wooden

and positioned alongside Chemical Watch, which Enhesa

stairs up to HCB’s poky office in Covent Garden in the middle

acquired in December last year.

of London, little did I expect that nearly 30 years later I would

I expect many HCB readers will be aware of Chemical

be the last of the gang to still be working on the title. Nor, indeed,

Watch, which is aimed at those compliance professionals

did I expect that there would be a change of ownership just six

managing chemicals under regulatory regimes such as GHS,

months later and that we would be decamped first to the badlands

REACH, CLP, OSHA, US EPA and their counterparts around

of Nine Elms and then later to the relative comfort of Victoria.

the world. I’m also aware that many of those compliance

Then there was another change of ownership and we moved

professionals have similar responsibilities under the various

again to Informa’s extensive office space near Old Street, where

regulations for the transport of dangerous goods, so are

we joined up with other publications in the maritime and freight

a natural bank of readers for HCB.

transport areas. That lasted for more than a decade before a

Clearly there are synergies between the two. As Peter

round of rationalisation led to HCB being sold to me, which

Schramme, CEO of Enhesa, says, “HCB’s global coverage and

presented me with what can only be described as a ‘steep learning

regulatory expertise dovetails with our existing operational and

curve’. It was a thrilling, worrying, challenging time that ultimately

product compliance brands and in particular complementing

failed through a lack of investment, so I sold the title to a contract

and adding to Chemical Watch’s news coverage of the product

publishing outfit in Finchley, north London, who were looking

life-cycle, product compliance and chemicals management.”

to expand into the B2B space.

As HCB becomes more integrated into the Chemical Watch

Throughout this history, HCB’s various owners have often

platform over the coming months, I expect those synergies

struggled to understand how to position the brand, how it fits

to improve our coverage of transport regulations, especially

in with the broader transport sector and what our loyal readers

in Asia and in emerging markets around the world. We will

expect from us. Who are those readers and what do they want?

be focusing more tightly on regulatory development and

How do we reach potential readers in similar situations?

on technical innovations that can help improve safety

And always – perhaps most importantly – how can we make

in the transport chain.

more money from the title? Writing this now in October 2021, I can report that HCB has

For now, though, it is ‘business as usual’ as we continue to deliver the coverage that our readers expect. But if you have

once more changed hands and I have plenty of reasons to believe

ideas as to how we can improve our service to the regulated

we may at last have found a home where we will be understood.

industries, feel free to get in touch with me on my new email

We have been acquired by Enhesa, a Brussels-based provider

address: peter.mackay@chemicalwatch.com.

of comprehensive EHS and product compliance intelligence,

Peter Mackay

WWW.HCBLIVE.COM


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.