SigmaMetra Newsletter

The SigmaMetra Reunion

Saturday Oct 30th 2004 at

Introduction On Saturday 30th October 2004, attended and those who sent apologies. almost 60 Sigma and Metra past and We have included a variety of current staff, and spouses, partners or photographs – these, with the friends joined in the Reunion at newsletter and more pictures, will be Westminster School, in the shadow of available on the SigmaMetra website Westminster Abbey. Thankfully, many (see below) so you can download your of us had met at the 1997 Reunion, and favourite photographs in large format we had name tabs, so there were few (modify as you wish!) and try to embarrassing moments of the ‘Are you identify those of us who have changed sure you are you?’ variety. In fact, a little. many had changed very little in the past 30 – 40 years. What was constant, Lively conversation, and/or the need to was the eclecticism of former drive, meant that our expenses, Sigma/Metra staff, combined with a particularly on wine, were somewhat thirst for conversation, and a great less than expected and that we had a sense of fun. And the bright day meant resultant surplus of funds. After that we could spill out into the discussion, we have decided to use this grounds, to discuss some abstruse, in a number of ways profound or trivial point. • to produce and circulate this newsletter Formalities were kept to a minimum. • to set up a website for us all to Ian Harrison, who is a Governor of the discuss matters of interest and School, welcomed us and outlined the possible future events careers of some of its distinguished • to use the remaining monies to alumni. Peter Gorle and David Parker, support the next reunion (possibly who run the existing Metra companies to be held in Autumn 2007) in the UK outlined their current activities and future plans. Summaries Mike Kent has set up a website for us of these talks are given below. and will be developing this in the future. The details will be sent out by We have prepared this newsletter as a e-mail when it is ready, hopefully quite memento of the occasion. It is being soon. Those of you who receive this by sent (by post or e-mail) to those who post should contact Dick Martin for information (27 Elm Grove, N8 9AH.)

Peter Gorle has agreed to be custodian of the remaining funds and will contribute to organising a future reunion, with help from the current group. He reminds us that he limited time and resources these days. His address is included in this note, so please let him know of any change of postal or e-mail address. passed away since the last reunion. We were very pleased that Sergio’s widow Maureen was able to join us at the Reunion, and also that Rose Allen, widow of Rob, who worked at Martech, was able to meet old friends.

Thanks to all of you who wrote, phoned and e-mailed to say how much you had enjoyed the event. We look

A sad note. When we started to forward to seeing you again in a few organise the Reunion, there were four years time (Autumn 2007 ?). of us – Ian Harrison, Simon Lister, Dick Martin and Sergio Viggiani. Very sadly, Sergio died suddenly in July, Ian Harrison after a rapidly invasive attack of Simon Lister cancer. We remember him, as well as a Dick Martin number of other colleagues who have

Ian Harrison welcomed us with You might be interested in a few words a few words on Westminster about the history of this place. The School School is of course part of the Abbey foundation, which dates back certainly

to the 10th Century, and possibly 200 I am not an old Westminster but I did years earlier (the wall across the have two sons here, and when the courtyard from our reunion is part of younger one left a few years ago I was the 12th century refectory). While invited to represent the Common there is evidence of a school in the Room on the Governing Body: it is Abbey precincts from about 1370, the thanks to them that we are here today. history of Westminster School is The décor may be a little more austere generally regarded as dating from two than the Croydon hotel where we held royal charters: one from Henry VIII in the previous reunion a few years ago, 1540 and the second from Queen but a spartan atmosphere is of course Elizabeth I in 1560. Parts of the one of the characteristics of the better building we are in probably date from public schools. I hope that will not around then, although it didn’t become prevent you from enjoying yourselves part of the School until a little later. to the full.

Westminster has always been one of leading London schools, as evidenced by a very distinguished list of Old Boys. These include: Ben Johnson, John Locke, Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, Henry Purcell, Edward Gibbon and Jeremy Bentham. Henry Liddell (father of Alice, of Wonderland fame, and later to become Dean of Christ Church, Oxford) was headmaster in the mid 19th Century. Later pupils include AA Milne (from the sale of whose Winnie-the-Pooh whose work (with Patrick Blackett and royalties to Disney the school recently others) in the 1930s on applying received some £45m), John Gielgud, scientific techniques to the use of radar , Michael Flanders & was one of the first examples of OR. Donald Swan, and Andrew The current headmaster provides Lloyd-Webber, while Martha Lane Fox another OR connection – his first job (late of lastminute.com) and Dido were (after an Oxford maths degree) was both here in the 1990s. with the National Coal Board OR Group in the late 1960s. An old boy of particular interest to former SigPeople is Sir Henry Tizard,

------Later Peter Gorle spoke about brain, Metra lunches for top people, developments at Metra, since the and ability to take short naps whenever late 1960s he felt his presence was not required and his love of Glyndebourne and its

trimmings. After the oil crisis of the early 1970s, and the collapse of at least one major French Metra project based on forecasting petrochemicals use, the management of the Group changed focus from “Noble science and mathematics” to the more mundane matter of survival. The change was brought about by a young Corsican, Pierre Bonelli and a key technical manager, André Felix. Bonelli, The debate about whether it was (known as il bandito because of his sensible to have an expensive, swashbuckling Corsican style) turned prestigious central London office or a the Group to computing. The larger one further out of town has Enarchists gave way to a new never been resolved, but Martech commercial regime. There followed a moved from Grosvenor Street to period of blood-letting and the Metra Croydon. Croydon was notable for the companies in Spain, Italy, Germany SIGMA coffee breaks, when all staff and Switzerland all closed. Some were mingled for half an hour in the middle re-opened in different form later in the of the morning to share ideas. It was 1980s. also notable for the curry restaurant

(5/- for an excellent meat curry), the Of the non French companies, only lunch time putting sessions and Metra Consulting Group (MCG), as generally relaxed atmosphere. From the UK company was now styled, and there we moved back to share the Sobemap in Belgium survived. The offices of the new Group computing next few years saw several UK services company SIA. The whole Managing Directors, The most notable ground floor housed one of the most being Michael Frost, a remarkable ex- powerful computers in Europe, a CDC Unilever man, notable for his quick 6600, twinned with another at London

University.

When SIA needed the space, MCG (since merged with Taylor Nelson to hunted around until the Old Vicarage become TNS). Industrial Division did in was taken on. This was a a management buy out. Betty Goodier fine building in a run down area…so who some of you will remember form much so that we had to run staff to and Croydon days, a former Latin from Clapham Junction in a large American dance champion and a crack Peugeot estate, for their safety. rifle shot, settled with three days a Battersea Square had two restaurants, week to do Industrial Division one a greasy spoon, the other really accounts and two days a week with quite adventurous, except that it had a Planning Division. She retired due to tame parrot which used to fly around ill health two or three years ago. the room. Battersea was abandoned Hilma Strudwick, the lady in charge of after Pierre Bonelli allegedly suffered a the typing pool in Lower Belgrave bruised bottom from an exposed spring Street came with Industrial and retired in the seat of a run down Battersea last year. Pierre Bonelli sadly died minicab and exclaimed “You cannot earlier this year. He was in his early remain ‘ere”. The long hunt for the 60s and had a write up in the Financial next location included consideration of Times. a block in Wardour Streeet, Houghton Hall to the North of London, and finally 1 Queen Anne’s Gate, where we had the fifth floor in the Water Authorities building.

In 1987, Sema Metra as the group was now named, purchased CAP(UK), the computing services company, and MCG became disposable. We had for nearly thirty years flown the London office French flag on the map on the 10ieme étage of the Sema Paris office. Industrial Division took on the name Now we were insignificant in the Metra Martech Ltd. We quickly grand plan. moved from £65 a square foot W1 to £27 a square foot Hammersmith W6. The MCG structure in 1 Queen Ten years there, and we were on the Anne’s Gate had changed little since move again. Now we are at 7 the early days. Peter Kendall ran the Chiswick High Street. We are much Planning Division, the direct smaller than in the old days, and descendent of SIGMA. They did big, personal responsibility for cash flow important planning studies in places etc has made us more canny than at the like Saudi Arabia… and I ran the time of the buy out. We sold our Industrial Division, the descendent of shares in stages and are currently Proplan and Martech. We did technical owned by a middle sized consultancy and commercial (but not consumer) called PMSI. market research, and consultancy. You would recognise many clients There were protracted negotiations, today from the old days, although there and eventually, Planning Division are also new ones and many of the big joined the market research arm of names NEDO, SKF, British Rail, PLA, SEMA, a company called SOFRES ICI, have gone or have changed beyond recognition. A great deal of Peter Gorle our work is international and we Metra Martech Ltd interview all over the world in local 7 Chiswick High Road language. The most recent published London W4 2ND report is called The Thoughts of China +44 (0) 20 8742 7888 Now. It is a 100 page A5 “Little Red www.metra-martech.com Book” briefing, of an unconventional [email protected] nature about the Chinese opportunity and threat. A snip at £24.50 and currently in its third print run.

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David Parker then added some management consulting activities and comments on Metra Economic concentrate on consumer research for strategic reasons. Metra Economic Consulting Consulting was then created through a

management buy-out by David Parker When Peter Gorle undertook his MBO and Patrick Sinnott with Judy Bell (née in 1989 David Parker was asked by Foster) as secretary. SEMA group to re-establish a group economic management consultancy So the Metra name continues to thrive presence in the UK. This became in the pleasant surroundings of Metra Sofres Ltd. Caterham. The company continues to

offer a range of business and economic In 1992, SEMA sold the group market development services with our major research and management consultancy client being the European Commission. units to a group of French Financial institutions under the name SOFRES

SA, later merged with Taylor Nelson Metra Economic Consulting Ltd AGB to become Taylor Nelson Sofres 3 Mount Pleasant Road, Caterham Plc. During this period METRA Sofres CR3 6LP Surrey Ltd continued as fairly autonomous Tel: +44 (0) 1883 349690 company. www.metraconsult.co.uk

[email protected] In 2002 the Taylor Nelson Sofres Group decided to withdraw from

SigmaMetra Reunion October 30th 2004 Magda Szekely THOSE PRESENT Roger Taylor Bill Alexander Peter Usborne April Alexander Maureen Viggiani Rose Allen Phyl Warner Alex Andrew Bernard Warner Peter Boardman Helen (Faulkner) Werly Alan Brown John White Ross Charlton Rowland Whitehead Jenny Charlton Andrew Clive …AND APOLOGIES FROM Jenny (Laing) Cooper Mike Arnott Judy Cottam Pat Bellamy David Cotton Maureen Clarke Gail Cotton Jenny Cochrane John Culhane Joan de Smith Barbara Culhane Peter Ford Peter Gorle Gerald Frizelle Renate Hall Dick Gillian Ian Harrison Gloria Gillott Janet Harrison Helen Gordon Christine Heald Jill Goulder Gordon Heald Chris Higgins John Hobbs Peter Kendall Francis Joubert Jacques Lesourne Alan Kell Jo Lowe Mary Kell John Ludley Michael Kent Audrey Mahon Tessa Kent Dorothy Mariotte John H Leckie Alan McHale Simon Lister Rosemary Morgan Jane Lister Derek Osborne Andrew Malecki David Owen Maria Malecki John Partridge Dick Martin Colin Perry Kate Martin Robin Ramm Joan L Matthews Betty Reed John Oakes Andy Ronaldson Suresh Pai Joseph Rudzinski Brenda Rowe Francisco Sagasti David Parker Miles Seaman Stephen Plowden David Settle Susan Plowden Patrick Sinnott Jonathan Rosenhead Mary Smith Carole Rouse Ricardo Soifer David Sayers Jackie Wainwright André Seelmann Stan Zetie Patricia Sheraton Raul Zimmerman Hilma Strudwick