Andy Cable was a thoroughly good egg.
I had the privilege of working with Andy with a few clients over the years and he was always a pleasure to work with. Both consultants, we could co-exist within the same client, firstly because we advised on different disciplines, me on matters up to the Call Centre door, him on the logistics beyond it, and secondly because he was really easy to get on with.
Andy had been in the business long enough to know how the whole process worked from front to back. So when I suggested some new marketing initiative he knew not only the impact it could have on the fulfilment side of the business but also the benefits it would bring to the company.
Although at the top of his trade, he was no prima donna. Whilst wishing to do the best for his clients he was a pragmatist and always accepted the world as it was. He never railed against the fates when it was impossible to implement the perfect plan. He just got on with producing the best possible outcome in the prevailing circumstances. I never ever had any hesitation in recommending him.
He was also a great lunch companion. Kind, funny and informed I always looked forward to seeing him. We were never best buddies, location and schedules ruled against it, but whenever the opportunity arose to meet up, I took it. In all the years I knew him, we only had one disagreement, and he handled it with grace and generosity.
During his last illness, he gave me a life lesson in stoicism. He didn’t complain, he was just honest about where he was. The only thing I heard him vocalise was that he got bored, as travelling was more difficult and restricted his ability to work. In our last conversation a few days before he died, he had rung me to ensure I had remembered to contact a mutual client. The fact that with all that was on his plate he would be kind enough to do so is a measure of the man he was.
Like many others, I will really miss him.
by Andrew Wilson, Direct Commerce Consultancy
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