News
A Tribute to Ian Mackay
[return]
Tribute to Ian Mackay our former Chairman, by Colin Gault our current Managing Director.
In the last issue of Sticky Notes I advised you that our Chairman Ian Mackay was stepping down from the board due to ill health. It is with deep regret that I have to advise you that after a long battle with Cancer, Ian died on the 13th March 2009.
It is no exaggeration to say that Smith & McLaurin probably wouldn’t exist today if it wasn’t for Ian Mackay, and his belief that this great business could prosper alongside the giants of the industry.
Ian, a qualified Chartered Accountant and Corporate Finance expert led the company out of administration in 2002, and set about the rebuilding process with incredible drive and enthusiasm. Ian was one of life’s truly inspirational characters who very quickly gained the trust of employees, customers and suppliers, all of whom offered support way beyond what would routinely be expected in the circumstances.
After guiding the company through the initial recovery period and ensuring that strong financial foundations were in place, Ian passed the “day to day” running of the business to the new management team and he himself took on the role of Non Executive Chairman.
For an accountant who always claimed to be “cured”, Ian had a remarkable capacity with numbers. His ability to dissect a profit and loss account and balance sheet was legendary, and he could process information quicker than most computers. Despite his role with Smith & Mclaurin being mainly restricted to board meetings, he had a very “annoying” knack of knowing the accounts pack in greater detail than the executive team. Board meetings at Smith & McLaurin were always challenging with “Mackay” in the chair!
Smith & McLaurin were one of several businesses “turned around” by Ian, and in the last five years despite his battle with cancer he went on to create “Symphony Corporate”, a company specializing in creating financial value at underperforming companies.
In business, Ian had few equals, but as a person he was truly unique. Always optimistic, Ian’s enthusiasm and zest for life was both extraordinary and infectious. In the world of Ian Mackay, every problem really was an opportunity, and to quote his friend and business partner Allan McLaughlin, “for Ian every street was a boulevard”. It is no exaggeration to say that Ian achieved more in his tragically short 49 years than most people could hope to achieve if they lived to be 100.
Ian will be sorely missed by his wife Roslynn, and sons Andrew, Stuart and Gordon, their sadness and sense of loss is shared by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.
Posted on 30 April, 2009
