Farewell and Happy Retirement to Derek Jameson

Today is the day that we bid farewell to our long-standing friend and colleague – Derek Jameson.

Derek has been integral to the Acumen team since he joined us in August 2006. At the time, he was Acumen’s first full time employee, and he was offered the job during his interview because we could sense that he was the right fit. We were absolutely right and it has been a pleasure to work with Derek ever since.

When Derek started at the company, we were in a small building, formerly a dental practice, at the end of a set of semi-detached houses in Maghull. This was converted into an office from which we could operate. Derek was the first person clients met when they entered the building, and often the first person they spoke to when they called the office.

Derek has worked especially closely with Angela over the years, and assisted in helping the business grow through streamlined administrative processes as well as the all-important skill of fielding callers to ensure that clients got through to the right person. There is no one quite as good as Derek as ensuring that scam callers and pushy salesmen swiftly take us off their cold-call lists!

Derek put us all on tenterhooks when he was hospitalised with Sepsis following a knee operation – we anxiously awaited every update as he made his recovery. We were all amused to hear that his only complaint was the hospital food – once a tough Scotsman, always a tough Scotsman!

However, we couldn’t have him go hungry, so we organised “food parcels” of McDonalds, Sushi and whatever else took his fancy – delivering them directly to him on our visits.

Even after a potentially life-threatening spell in hospital, Derek was eager to get back into the office and see the team. This meant returning to his desk before he was able to drive himself in – members of the team that lived locally to Derek all pitched in to drive him over to the office while on their way in.

Derek has a few amazing skills that we will truly miss:

1. The tenacity required to pursue insurance companies and pension providers to ensure that we gather all the information we require.
2. His ability to sleuth and find fascinatingly obscure news stories as well has his amazingly broad general knowledge.
3. A hilarious dry sense of humour coupled with his mutterings of exasperation.

Dedicated, thoughtful and a supremely loyal Derek has contributed greatly to Acumen and the team over the last 17 years.

Derek, you will be missed in the office but you know you are more than welcome to come in whenever you like and have a catch up with us all.