I promised to write the rest of my acceptance speech for the Japan–British Society (JBS) award I received on 25 November in this issue of BCCJ ACUMEN, so here goes.
I gratefully acknowledge, and share this award with, the brilliant and diverse crew of editorial, design, creative and business brains at Custom Media, producers of BCCJ ACUMEN, especially President Robert Heldt and Editor Kathryn Wortley.
I know that our loyal and vigilant proofreader and second copy editor prefers a low profile and due, unfortunately, to lack of space, I will also avoid naming others due such recognition.
Some of them have worked in their own time to help us make deadlines to produce the pro bono work we do for worthy causes such as Refugees International Japan.
Diversity at its best
As well as those from native-English speaking nations, can you believe we have worked this year with colleagues from nations as far apart—geographically and culturally—as Mexico, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, France, Italy, and more?
Stress, deadlines and wet Monday mornings aside, they all ensure there is rarely a dull moment at Custom Media, and I probably don’t thank them enough.
This colourful mix is also testament to English, still by far the lingua franca for global business and innovation, which is at the core of our main projects, including BCCJ ACUMEN.
And finally, of course, my gratitude to HIH Princess Akiko of Mikasa, British Ambassador to Japan Tim Hitchens CMG LVO, and JBS for a memorable awards ceremony at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
