Julius Grafton says farewell, new editor-in-chief prepares to stoke the fire

Since 1990 I’ve enjoyed every deadline and presided over every word in this fine journal. It’s reflected my view of our industry and carried my values. That’s the great privilege and responsibility of publishing. Owning your own platform to spruik your own views is awesome. Using it properly means I got this far.

After this issue of CX hits your eyes I’ll step right back to become just the publisher, the guy with the ultimate responsibility. No longer will I lead, guide and opine – unless asked to do so by the new editor in chief, Jason Allen (pictured).

The decade I’ve known Jason has allowed me a growing appreciation of his skills, ability and commitment to this small, boutique and sometimes precious industry. He shares the passion that makes the show go on and raises the curtain on time.

He says he will find his feet in the new job and then look to find improvements without setting fire to the furniture. We’re committed to print, so that won’t change, but almost everything else is up for review. How he does this is up to him. I’m a firm believer in delegation and I back decisions made in my name.

Jason has a larger budget than many trade magazines. We remain committed to commissioning original material and running the best photography we can buy. Steve James remains the backstop at CX as General Manager, maintaining the important commercial relationships and helping the editor make rational decisions. Jason will be easier to deal with than I ever was.

This came about with the formation of ENTECH Roadshows Global and the roll out across America. In December I realised, while on a road trip with my USA partner Brian Blackmore, that my time needed to be properly invested in that project. It coincided with my realisation that Jason could take this on, and he enthusiastically agreed.

While this is adieu, it isn’t curtains since Jason has indicated he would still like me to feed some news and maybe the Biz column – although I don’t expect him to use all of it. I wonder how it feels having your material rejected? I was until now the rejecter-in-chief!

Jason says he will confront same of the issues or malcontents that I’ve chewed over the years!

I’ll miss the semi-regular legal letters from aggrieved ‘victims’ who have dialled a lawyer in anger after I’ve written the horrible truth about their mistakes. I got a file full of them, and always have fun ‘engaging’ with their lawyer as often as possible to ramp up their costs before they realise they don’t have a case. Maybe Jason will get a few letters?

I really look forward to reading CX the same as you do – and not for ten days at a time across deadline! The only time I’ll read material before you are if Steve and Jason decide they need my adjudication for some reason and enact our editorial resolution solution.

See you at an ENTECH sometime!

• Julius