A molti di voi il nome forse non dirà molto. Ma Matt Bishop è stato la mente e il cuore del mensile F1 Racing per tanti anni e noi ci siamo conosciuti e siamo diventati amici proprio in quel periodo quando, dal 1999 al 2004, sono stata direttore dell’edizione italiana. Poi sapete come è andata qui, ma con Matt siamo sempre stati in contatto, uno di quei legami che non si spezzano anche quando la professione ti porta ad altri incarichi. Poi ci siamo ritrovati al suo arrivo in McLaren come Chief Communications Officer and Group Media, Content & Communications Director. Ho conosciuto poche persone creative, concrete e vulcaniche come Matt e quindi, se la notizia della sua decisione da una parte mi spiace (anche perché mi mancherà a Monza la nostra chiacchierata), dall’altra sono molto felice per lui, perché sento che si sta preparando a qualcosa di speciale.
One thing for sure, dear Matt: friends will be friends, as my beloved Freddie Mercury sang, so we’ll always be in touch. Look forward to hearing from you soon, with good news. I’ll be here, waiting for you, with a picture (always looking at me on the desktop) of a little boy with a special and great woman… Love you, Matt, and thanks for everything during these years, above all for your friendship.
Di seguito il comunicato stampa McLaren.
Barbara Premoli
“After 10 years’ service, McLaren Technology Group’s Chief Communications Officer and Group Media, Content & Communications Director Matt Bishop today announces his decision to move on.
Matt Bishop: “Aft
er a great deal of careful thought, I have decided to move on from McLaren, a company I have loved and served for 10 sometimes wonderful but occasionally difficult years. It was a tough decision, but it was the right one: the time is right. Being offered a McLaren job in the autumn of 2007 was a dream come true for me – and, although the past 10 years have been characterised by a huge amount of extremely hard work, I have enjoyed them enormously.
“I have had the privilege of working with a large number of truly exceptional people, including three world champions [Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso], and I am indebted to all my colleagues, past and present, for the inspiration and support they have given me throughout my time at Woking. I wish them every success in the future. But, as I say, the time is right, now, for me to move on from McLaren. The recent changes in the ownership and leadership of Formula 1 have made it an even more exciting business in which to work, and, desirous as I am to broaden my professional outlook on the sport I love, I intend to pause, reflect and take stock, before examining what exciting new challenges I may be able to take on“.
Zak Brown (Executive Director, McLaren Technology Group): “Matt’s contribution to the development and improvement of McLaren’s communications, PR and digital/social media offerings has been enormous. He’s a good guy, and will be missed. But I always respect ambition, and recognise that Matt’s opportunities in Formula 1 are many and varied. Given the exciting changes in our sport, I can understand his desire to pursue such opportunities, and to that end I, and all at McLaren, wish him well“.
