And so my friends to Mortlake, to ensure that Rosemary Smith, who was taken from us far too early last month, received a send-off befitting one of the most highly respected – and let’s not forget fun – people this industry has ever known.
The kings, queens – and divas – of the direct marketing and data world were out in force to show their love. They might no longer be spring chickens, but they still have a huge appetite for this business, and for wine, too. None more so it seems than the former DMA El Presidente Colin Lloyd, who, even though he must be nearly 100 now, is planning to launch yet another agency. (Just keep that one to yourselves though, hey?)
British business royalty was also there, with former Royal Mail chief executive Dame Moya Greene coming to pay her respects to a true industry legend, who touched so many lives.
For many, however, Rosemary will always be one of the “DM Spice Girls”, who along with Jenny Moseley, Judith Donovan, Zina Manda and Jo Howard-Brown were a force to be reckoned with. They spiced up my life, that’s for sure.
And, never mind girl power, when you went out for lunch with them, it wasn’t just lunch, it was afternoon drinks, dinner and, sometimes, even breakfast the next day.
Still, it seems that this wasn’t the only group Rosemary was in, as Judith explained in her tribute, she was also an honorary member of “The Bradford Girls”, a formidable band of local businesswomen who no doubt used to terrify the living daylights out of every man in town.
By all accounts, they could out-drink the blokes, they could out-smoke them too, and you could bet your last pint of Tetley’s they could have out-fought them as well. As Judith added: “Rosemary was a good egg, and like all good eggs, she was a bit cracked, too!”
But as Jenny touched on in her eulogy, everyone will remember Rosemary for her kindness, generosity and fighting spirit. She concluded: “And we have a new GDPR acronym: Goodbye Darling Precious Rosemary.”
So, dear readers, I hope that you will join me, Roxy and the rest of the Decision Marketing team to raise a glass of rosé for a truly remarkable woman…
