Michael Nelson : Reuters Cool Revolutionary

When I applied to become a Reuters Graduate Trainee in 1967, I was interviewed by two General News grandees, and a cool young character heading Economic Services, Michael Nelson. Looking back, I realise I was being judged by a revolutionary about to shake up a venerable institution with a hitherto scant aptitude for making money.

Joining on the same day as me was André Villeneuve, who Nelson picked to pioneer the Reuters Monitor. I count myself lucky that they ushered in a golden age of vast new revenues and profits.

Nelson also innovated in the Reuters media business. He was behind the acquisition of UPI’s international photo service to create Reuters News Pictures.

At a time when European management colleagues were raking in money hand over fist from financial markets, I suffered friendly ribbing for being responsible for stubbornly unprofitable Pictures. Yet who can now imagine a global news service without photos?

Likewise, Nelson pushed the company to acquire control of Visnews, creating Reuters Television to add the essential element of video to our offering.

Some colleagues found him aloof. One former manager told me that during the many years he worked directly for Nelson, he never received a word of praise. Yet others, myself included, found him warm and supportive.

After retirement Nelson joined the Editorial Advisory Board of The Baron at the invitation of the late Barry May. At our meetings, he astounded us with his strategic ideas (which we struggled to realise).

Above all, I remember Nelson’s single-minded focus on making money. When he gave an anniversary talk on Baron Paul Julius Reuter in 2016, he eschewed heroic stories about famous scoops but instead expounded on how our founder made fortunes for both the company and himself.  

In 2019 he invited former colleagues to celebrate his 90^th birthday at the Garrick Club in London. Barely were the wining, dining and speeches complete than Nelson rose to his feet, said “Thank you for celebrating with me, gentlemen” and left. For a full half-minute the rest of us were dumbstruck, flummoxed not for the first time by his cool aplomb.

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