John Stephens: buccaneer of Reuters heyday

When I first worked for John Stephens in 1984, after moving from editorial to the management of the Western Region of Europe, I did not think we were obviously compatible. "Buccaneer" and "lovable rogue" were expressions others used to describe him, and I did not see myself like that. 

Yet we got on like a house on fire and I look back on the six years I worked with him as some of my best. I was landed with taking over part of UPI's rickety photo business, a gung-ho undertaking in which John was an indefatigable supporter, a mischievous gleam in his eye. 

Later, he and I toured Europe renegotiating contracts with national news agencies, some of which had developed Machiavellian strategies for getting the better of Reuters. However in that department John was not to be outdone, and tables were turned. 

With John you could talk about anything - politics, economy, theatre, books, music, opera, internal intrigue or what have you. Working with him in Paris meant familiarisation with great restaurants and stylish hospitality in his elegant flat with his wife Anne. He spoke French like a Frenchman, and behaved like a Parisian, choosing an 19th century town house as the headquarters of Western Region. If we had urgent business to resolve, he would summon me late in the evening to spread the papers out on the zinc counter of the nearby bar. 

If this sounds reckless, it was not. John was as rigorous as anybody in looking for new ways of doing business, pursuing growth, controlling costs, raising the bottom line and driving us to exhaustion. When Western Region was merged with another in 1989, it was showing spectacular growth. 

I worked with John in the heyday of Reuters. We had a confidence that everything we touched would turn to gold. A preposterous and inspiring idea, and very much in John's character. ■