The Business Magazine’s original mission of bringing people together remains at its core 30 years on

The November issue of The Business Magazine celebrated 30 years of bringing together businesses, first from across the Thames Valley and more recently widening its coverage across the South and West of England. And the man behind the legacy was David Murray.

The newspaper veteran, who had just turned 40 and was ready for a new challenge, left his role as editor of the Reading Evening Post and launched his own magazine. Thirty years ago this month, the first Business Magazine rolled off the presses.

David sadly passed away in 2021, but his wife Abbie Enock, founder and Chair of Reading-based media management platform Capture, takes up the story. “David saw an opportunity for a magazine that would act as a community.

“The magazine was the start, before the events, but it was very much a networking community which was quite novel in those days. I remember going to early events and people would be grabbing copies of the magazine and highlighting people to contact.”

Today The Business Magazine is owned by the Tracey family, who bought it in 2021 because they share David’s passion for championing regional business.

They have invested significantly to ensure that the magazine continues to meet the expectations and needs of its readers and commercial partners. It now has two editions and is produced electronically by teams of journalists, sub-editors and designers with the pages sent via the Cloud to a modern printing plant. It was, however, a very different process back in late 1993.

The first edition was a family effort. David’s father designed the masthead and Abbie subbed and designed in between her foreign photojournalism assignments, running her photo agency and coding the first version of her new technology platform which would become Capture.

“Back then it was so different – it wasn’t digital so when you wanted a picture on the page it had to be manually ‘sized’ with a picture wheel,” said Abbie. “Pages were laid out on paper using an “em” rule, then taken in a large cassette-type device to the printers.

“When you are in the early stages of launching a magazine, you need someone who is prepared to work all night sometimes – and that was what we did.

Dave always had ambitious plans for the next edition and would always be pushing the deadline.”

Taking inspiration from overseas

Before setting up The Business Magazine, David and Abbie – herself a photojournalist, travelled the world for three years working in newsrooms in Australia and Hong Kong which had embraced technology faster than their heavily-unionised UK counterparts, as well as producing articles and photos for publications all over the world.

It was a time of immense learning as they saw the benefits that technology could bring to publishing.

Coming home, David returned to the Reading Evening Post where he became editor and Abbie began building her own business.

Abbie said: “We both learned a lot from our travels and it allowed Dave to really get his head into technology before launching the magazine.

“UK newspapers were just starting to adopt technology – they had terminals in their offices – but none of them worked that well. Press a button and work could disappear.”

David originally grappled with the business side of running his own company.

“He had experience as an editor in balancing the books but nothing comparable with running his own business and having to make sure the cloth fits the cut,” remembers Abbie.

“He worked hard to bring in advertising, and attracted some really good long-standing clients.”

Many remain supporters of the magazine to this day, which Abbie says is testament to his work but also the value that the magazine has in bringing people together for mutual benefit.

“People really wanted to get behind Dave and he picked up clients that supported him through thick and thin. Gradually the business began to build momentum and he built some great friendships.

“He was also a very good networker, knowledgeable and could talk on any subject, particularly in roundtables. He was great at absorbing information and bringing people into the conversation.

“He created this networking environment in Reading and the clients did well too, as they made more business from it.”

Long-standing supporters help magazine prosper

The Business Magazine built its audience and reputation, but it was its expansion into large-scale events, 10 years after launch, that the readership and revenues began to soar.

“The events got bigger and Dave got to the point where he was booked out most mornings and evenings,” Abbie added.

Recalling The Business Magazine’s first event, she said: “Dave had never launched an event before and it was full of friends and family to fill as many seats as we could.

“Everyone got more confident as the events went on, but I remember the first event where the speakers were all quite anxious, so I went round calming nerves.”

David’s long-term friend Christopher Avery, a Partner at Gateley Legal, supported The Business Magazine from its early days and witnessed first-hand the evolution of the company into a media and events business.

He recalls the conversation which sparked a concerted move into the awards space.

The Business Magazine had held small-scale events since its launch, however the move into gala awards was a seismic change.

He said: “My marketing consultant at the time, Andrew Derrick, spoke to David about putting on the first awards. He said you’re a local magazine, you should have some awards.

“The awards started as the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards and then grew into property and deals. When I moved to Gateley we became involved in the awards too and for me they have just been the best thing to do in terms of meeting new clients and judging new businesses.

“I’ve made a lot of friends over the years through the awards process.”

The success of any small business comes down to its people and this wasn’t lost on David.

“Dave had a gift for inspiring people. When you run a small business, you need to do more than just employ people, you need to build that family feel to the team,” Abbie said,
“He was really caring about people but also firm and fair.”

Abbie says she and David helped and encouraged each other through any tough times.

She said: “We had totally separate business lives, but we really came together as a couple behind the scenes and were absolute soulmates.

“We were very independent, yet united, always backing each other and felt, with that support, we could succeed at anything – and always so proud of each other’s achievements.”

David was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019 and passed away in March 2021 following complications from a medical procedure.

His legacy is evident to this day in The Business Magazine’s events and magazine which is distributed to homes and offices across the South East.

Richard Thompson, CEO, The Business Magazine

It is a pleasure and privilege to be CEO of The Business Magazine, a role I took on in 2021 when David sold the business to our new owners, the Tracey family.

The team, led by myself, Operations Director Jo Whittle and Managing Editor Stephen Emerson, care passionately about the work we do and you can tell this from this magazine’s content and design, and in the professionalism and quality of our events – large and small.

The Business Magazine has become a great brand, largely down to David’s hard work, and we continue his legacy by creating great content and holding fantastic events. We firmly believe that regional business needs a champion and a voice, and The Business Magazine delivers both by enabling regional businesses to network and connect. We have many long-standing relationships of which we are immensely proud and work hard to deliver on our promises and get results for our clients.

We will continue to improve and invest in our offering – in print, events and video, so that we can best serve the UK’s most dynamic business region.

Peter J Harrison, Executive Chairman, Furniture Village Ltd

In Retail marketing speak “to tell is to sell” because good communication is so vitally important. When we first opened in Slough over 20 years ago I struck up a relationship with David who ran a local publication that was seriously good and it was our pleasure to be featured in his magazine and attend many of the excellent events that they put on.

Adam Dowdney, Partner at IBB Law

When I joined IBB we were very keen to raise our profile and awareness of IBB within the Thames Valley. One of the ways of doing this was involvement in the magazine and we spoke to David Murray and Peter Laurie and they were very supportive, inclusive and encouraging to us.
The magazine is one of those things you have to be in and it is a name that comes up time and time again especially when you speak to people in the professional services community.
David did a brilliant job and the business that he set up is an integral part of the Thames Valley business community. It is great to see The Business Magazine team continuing this legacy.

Christopher Avery, Partner at Gateley Legal

I was interviewed in the first edition of the magazine having just become the Managing Partner of Pitmans, as it was then called. I decided to pick up the phone to Kevin Gaskell, the new Managing Director of Porsche GB, who was also interviewed in the first edition. We agreed to have lunch and six weeks later he was a client of the firm and remained so for many years.

David soon became a great friend and we worked closely together. He was outstanding at bringing the business community together and we made many new friends in those early years.

It was not long before we together hatched the idea of the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards, which then led to the creation of the other awards. I have been involved ever since as the awards have been a great success.

Emma Gibson, Office Senior Partner at KPMG Reading

Connectivity is at the heart of any region’s economic success. It helps foster business confidence, facilitate new deals and relationships and further growth. The South East is a major driver of UK economic growth and continues to be an example that the rest of the nation looks to, so it’s essential that it’s represented and that its voice is heard. It’s important that we have platforms like The Business Magazine, that allow us to champion the region’s fledgling innovators, as well as its bellwether employers.

Duncan Lamb, Corporate Finance Partner at BDO LLP

The professional community has progressed so much over the past 30 years, and it is good to see The Business Magazine keep pace and become the most relevant that it has ever been.

The recent magazines have much broader insight, broader editorial rather than advertorial.

The magazine and events have been instrumental in our business development activities.

The deals event is the biggest networking event in the calendar and is the one that everyone goes to. The host Mark Durden Smith and the networking opportunities really make the event.

David Thomas, Partner at Vail Williams

I first came across The Business Magazine fairly early in my career at one of its events and was quite taken by how engaging David was. The magazine was like a community because you got an understanding of what other people were up to in the appointment pages, the commentary and the mergers and acquisitions pages.

David and The Business Magazine team had the vision to see that there was something happening within the Thames Valley and that it wasn’t just a collection of disparate towns but that there was this business community here. They were able to bring it together and that is a legacy to be very proud of.

Duncan Campbell, Partner at Campbell Gordon

I’ve been at Campbell Gordon for 20 years and the magazine became more and more noticeable because of the way they were engaging with the business community.

The launch of the Thames Valley Property Awards was transformational, and they became an immediate runaway success. They tapped into a pent-up demand for people in the commercial and residential property industry in the Thames Valley to come together, rub shoulders with their peers and celebrate their successes.

Peter Kavanagh, CEO of Leaders Romans Group

David first contacted me to encourage us to enter one of the business awards around the year 2000. I think it was the small business category which we went on to win.

After that I really got to know David and both he and The Business Magazine were really helpful when we were trying to grow the business.

David was very good at introducing us to people we wanted to meet.

We were one of the earliest sponsors of the Thames Valley Property Awards which helped us and it has been great to see it grow to become the event that it is.

Lee Biggins, Founder and CEO of CV-Library

As a new business owner back in 2000, the support of The Business Magazine and being able to reach and be seen by the local region was invaluable for CV-Library. It helped us build and develop new relationships with both job seekers, recruiters and potential local employees.

Local community has always been important to me, and the CV-Library head office remains in my hometown (Fleet) , not far from where I went to school. The Business Magazine really is a champion of regional businesses, creating a sense of community spirit and recognising and celebrating entrepreneurs and businesses in our region.

Andrew Thomson, Managing Partner at HMT LLP

We are the second largest economy outside London, and The Business Magazine plays an important role supporting Thames Valley businesses and is a strong advocate for the region. We have also recently celebrated our 30th anniversary in the Thames Valley and The Business Magazine has been an important partner during this period both for HMT and the wider corporate finance community.

Simon Davies, Partner at FRP Corporate Finance

For as long as I can remember, The Business Magazine has been a part of my professional life.

Having worked in the region for more than 30 years, it first came to my notice in the mid-90s since when the magazine has supported the local professional communities in the Thames Valley and Solent region, developing its focus but always looking to assist and support local businesses and professionals.
In turn, the region has supported the magazine, with sponsorship, editorial and some great moments at its events. But not in the way of a distant relationship, but because the team worked with us, understood our strengths and needs and were flexible and adaptable to us.

They listened and built lasting relationships rather than working through intermediaries. ‘They’ are human, and treated us as such, which is why David Murray, Peter Laurie and others that have built the Business Magazine will be remembered.

Rachel Bartlett, Marketing Manager at MSP Capital

We’ve worked with The Business Magazine for a few years now. Alan Lindstrom (the magazine’s Regional Business Manager) and the rest of the team are generous with their time and you can tell they genuinely want the companies they work with to flourish and do well.

I’m always impressed with the ideas they have and how involved they are with the communities and companies they work with. They are a valuable asset to the region and help bring many companies together. I look forward to continuing our partnership.

Peter Laurie, Head of Client Relations at The Business Magazine

Having spent my formative years in corporate finance and then latterly in professional services, a new challenge opened up when I was introduced to David Murray.

We discussed at some length The Business Magazine and the future direction of the business and I knew that I wanted to play a part in helping David take the business forward.

The Business Magazine is now under new ownership allowing us to build upon our strengths in delivering quality content through the two publications and the many events and networking opportunities we facilitate during the year, enabling us to reach out in the support the many SMEs that play such an important role in our economy.

David Lamont, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Blandy & Blandy

I have worked with The Business Magazine and its team for nine years, while our firm has done so for even longer. It operates an excellent programme of annual reports, awards (we are proud former winners and finalists) and events, and is one of the best sources of business news in the region. I have lost count of the number of times someone has said to me “I saw your piece on…. in The Business Magazine.” It is an excellent channel through which to network and raise the profile of your business. As a firm counting down to its 300th anniversary we know a thing or two about important milestones – congratulations to The Business Magazine on its 30th birthday.

Mark Allen, Partner at Crowe UK

Reaching a 30th anniversary is a great achievement and marks three decades of supporting business and advisory communities across the South and Midlands. The magazine plays an important role in reporting on and, crucially, bringing together, corporates and their advisers from across the region. The Business Magazine has evolved alongside the local business community over the years and throughout my career I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in many of its publications and events. These represent an important platform for firms like Crowe to raise our profile and celebrate our achievements.

Jurek Sikorski, Executive Director, Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship and founder of Henley Business Angels

Henley Business School has had a long relationship with The Business Magazine and its founder David Murray.

We hosted several events together. One was a collaboration between Henley Business Angels and The Business Magazine on a debate on angel investing at the Greenlands Campus, Henley-on-Thames. Henley Business Angels attended along with Cambridge Capital Group and Dan Wagner, one of UK’s most prominent entrepreneurs. This event led to greater visibility of business angels and stimuled Henley Business Angels’ support for start-up businesses.

Henley values its relationship with The Business Magazine and hopes that David’s legacy of engaging business and reporting on the achievements of the business community will continue to thrive.