'Operational excellence and focus sum up what Ricky brought to Firefly Communications, where I hired him about six years ago.
'Brought on to run a big IT project as a consultant, Ricky's role quickly expanded to cover all aspects of operations.
'His managerial skills were exemplary, from using chocolate inducements to help break down barriers to getting people of all levels involved in the business.
'His greatest contribution was as a non-PR practitioner on the board, able to see through the sometimes clouded judgement of a PR mind.
'Ricky would cut through the spin to expose the logic for all to see.'
Ricky Merry is now EMEA head of service management and support at Marsh Corporate Services.