UP FRONT 01
EDITOR’S LETTER
Way back in the 20th century, when I first climbed the wooden
and positioned alongside Chemical Watch, which Enhesa
stairs up to HCB’s poky office in Covent Garden in the middle
acquired in December last year.
of London, little did I expect that nearly 30 years later I would
I expect many HCB readers will be aware of Chemical
be the last of the gang to still be working on the title. Nor, indeed,
Watch, which is aimed at those compliance professionals
did I expect that there would be a change of ownership just six
managing chemicals under regulatory regimes such as GHS,
months later and that we would be decamped first to the badlands
REACH, CLP, OSHA, US EPA and their counterparts around
of Nine Elms and then later to the relative comfort of Victoria.
the world. I’m also aware that many of those compliance
Then there was another change of ownership and we moved
professionals have similar responsibilities under the various
again to Informa’s extensive office space near Old Street, where
regulations for the transport of dangerous goods, so are
we joined up with other publications in the maritime and freight
a natural bank of readers for HCB.
transport areas. That lasted for more than a decade before a
Clearly there are synergies between the two. As Peter
round of rationalisation led to HCB being sold to me, which
Schramme, CEO of Enhesa, says, “HCB’s global coverage and
presented me with what can only be described as a ‘steep learning
regulatory expertise dovetails with our existing operational and
curve’. It was a thrilling, worrying, challenging time that ultimately
product compliance brands and in particular complementing
failed through a lack of investment, so I sold the title to a contract
and adding to Chemical Watch’s news coverage of the product
publishing outfit in Finchley, north London, who were looking
life-cycle, product compliance and chemicals management.”
to expand into the B2B space.
As HCB becomes more integrated into the Chemical Watch
Throughout this history, HCB’s various owners have often
platform over the coming months, I expect those synergies
struggled to understand how to position the brand, how it fits
to improve our coverage of transport regulations, especially
in with the broader transport sector and what our loyal readers
in Asia and in emerging markets around the world. We will
expect from us. Who are those readers and what do they want?
be focusing more tightly on regulatory development and
How do we reach potential readers in similar situations?
on technical innovations that can help improve safety
And always – perhaps most importantly – how can we make
in the transport chain.
more money from the title? Writing this now in October 2021, I can report that HCB has
For now, though, it is ‘business as usual’ as we continue to deliver the coverage that our readers expect. But if you have
once more changed hands and I have plenty of reasons to believe
ideas as to how we can improve our service to the regulated
we may at last have found a home where we will be understood.
industries, feel free to get in touch with me on my new email
We have been acquired by Enhesa, a Brussels-based provider
address: peter.mackay@chemicalwatch.com.
of comprehensive EHS and product compliance intelligence,
Peter Mackay
WWW.HCBLIVE.COM
