Merchants of Norwich: on the trail of the city’s lost fortunes
Here’s my recent travel story for The Independent, a lockdown-friendly tour of our fine city of #Norwich. My quest for clues takes me through the medieval streets of one of East Anglia’s finest cities. It’s a fascinating story: for hundreds of years Norwich was England’s richest provincial city. But just when the rest of the […]
Work in progress during lockdown: DG Jones and Partners, Lebanon
I’ve been working with DJ Jones and Partners on a series of projects recently. Their core business is construction consultancy, with very high-profile projects across the Middle East and beyond, so working remotely during #lockdown hasn’t been too much of a change from business-as-usual. But then there was the huge explosion in Beirut’s harbour. The company’s main […]
Life in lockdown – exploring Norwich’s history
Lots of us have been rediscovering our home patch during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Now we’re back into lockdown again, I’ve been exploring the Colegate area in the oldest part of #Norwich – a thousand years of history in just one short walk. And it’s quite a rollercoaster, from fabulous wealth to near-bankruptcy and back […]
Trams in Norwich? Brilliant idea
If they work for Padua, they’ll work for our fine city. I’m joining the debate about trams for Norwich – and I’m all for modern tram systems. Cities around the world are battling to solve the problems of urban traffic jams and filthy air conditions – it’s not unique to Norwich. So it makes sense […]
Qatar – the Barzan Gas Project
I’ve been in Doha, Qatar, writing about the $10.4bn Barzan Gas Project for RasGas. Working with The Point again and other media partners, we’ve been developing a commemorative book – 166+ pages – over a period of around six months. Barzan is one of the world’s largest natural gas projects to date, and the book […]
Work in progress: Italy feature
I’m finalising the latest “country” feature for RasGas magazine. It’s focusing on Italy’s economy and I’ve uncovered a lot of surprises. In the north, in regions like the Veneto, business is booming. Italy is changing fast, so it’s not the poor relation in Europe that you might expect. Far from it, I’m finding… The story will be published in […]
Arcadis – set of 10 brochures
Working with The Point, I’ve been writing the copy for a series of 10 brochures for Arcadis. They’re one of the world’s largest consultancies in natural and built assets, so it’s been a fantastic project. I’ve interviewed their global sector leads in sectors ranging from bridges to urban transportation, finding out the key concerns. For […]
RCPsych project
It’s really good to see this completed project for RCPsych (The Royal College of Psychiatrists). I’ve been working with BSI experts and the RCPsych team to reduce a large number of standards to two sets – in-patient care and community care. It’s been a complex project involving a lot of conceptual thinking. The streamlined set has removed duplication, […]
Belgium’s unique strategic advantage
Belgium’s history, location and ambition give it a unique strategic advantage. My latest feature for RasGas magazine explains why this country and its economy are important for Europe. It’s a small country with a big strategic position, at a crossroads in Europe where maritime and overland trade routes meet. It’s the heart of Europe, hosting the European […]
Taiwan: Asia’s high-tech powerhouse
I’ve been writing for RasGas magazine on Taiwan’s economy. It’s everyone’s idea of a success story: one of the four Asia ‘tiger economies’, manufacturing more of the world’s IT products than anyone else – but things are not quite as simple as that. There’s a complex (and politically tense) relationship with China. Most of Taiwan’s manufacturing […]
