A personal tribute to Peter Beech-Allen It is with much regret that I write to inform you that Peter Beech-Allen who was a Director of SWAIN, passed away on Friday 7th February. Peter was unique; always dapper and known for his stylish approach to life; he brought flare and élan to so many aspects of business. He was always well turned out and known for sartorial elegance; he seemed to have an endless supply of watches and pens! But in Peter’s case, the panache was not merely skin deep; he was savvy, clever and streetwise with a strong commercial mind and was unsurpassed in face to face negotiating. One of his greatest strengths was his ability to see the bigger picture and to devise a strategy to achieve the desired outcomes. Peter was rarely emotional about business and his objective approach consistently won over many colleagues, customers and suppliers. Invariably, Peter was one of the brightest in the room, and this combined with his flair for lateral thinking and his ability to devise a solution made him an intimidating competitor. I embraced his ability. Peter was the finest tender-writer I have ever known and he effortlessly won every proposal SWAIN put forward. He was challenging, but always measured; he was, quite simply, an obvious choice for the SWAIN Board and inevitably, the first name on the team sheet. Peter and I would often reflect on our very different paths to SWAIN. Peter’s start to life and his early engagement with business was very different from my own experiences. Peter was highly entrepreneurial and singular in his drive to succeed; he had worked his way up in business as well as in life. We brought very different skills to the table, but it was a great combination and it worked wonders. Peter was a skilled car driver, golfer and triathlete, and even faced with chronic illness he tackled those challenges with determination and a smile. Peter never grumbled and refused to give in. I shall miss Peter’s maverick and singular style; his energy, love of life and his family. Rest in peace old chum, Philip Tellwright