Nick Carter

Nick’s role in moving Reuters into the world of computers and then the full digital age cannot be over-stressed. The behind the scenes mechanics could easily have resulted in engineers and technologists becoming the de facto editors by imposing limits which the technology inherently carried. Instead, Nick and other journalists who were “closet techies” took the challenge of learning and staying abreast of technology, working with techs to ensure user needs were met and pushing scientists to go further in developing what editorial staff and customers required. Reuters became a world leader in communications technologies as a result of such efforts, at one stage holding seven US patents in new technology and forcing The Wall Street Journal in a page one story to name it the most technically advanced communications company in the world. At a management seminar in the early 90s, I spoke with a co-attendee from the CIA, admiring their technologies in communications. “I only wish we had what you do,” he replied. Nick was a leader among the many who took us there. ■