The world is not enough

Several years ago, and not so long after we first met, I wrote an email to you where I spoke about 'magical' people - people who have the power to change the lives of other people, to influence them to be better than they would otherwise be, or sometimes simply to make one day or one moment more vivid and memorable for those around them.

At that time, I included you in my very short list of magical people that I knew.

Over the last three years, I've watched you change and develop into a very different person from the man I first met. You've encountered many disappointments and frustrations, been sometimes baffled by how hard it can be to achieve seemingly the simplest of things. You've had great successes, moments of unadulterated triumph and excitement. You've worked harder than it should humanly be possible, throwing yourself at one minute into politically-charged high-level meetings, and at the next into detailed critique of a tiny change on SE.com.

You still stun me with your ability to deal with whatever life and work throws at you - to really experience the lows, and the next day be back again with that naughty smile, genuine laughter, and some encouraging words or outrageous innuendo for your team.

In some ways, you're harder now - more professional, more ambitious, more able to step back from a situation and calculate the right move. You're more focused on giving than getting approval - and the comments from your team on this blog show how much you're valued as a manager and how much you teach and inspire people.

But despite the added polish, despite the industry recognition, despite the ability to be hard-nosed, you've kept your humanity and at times your humility - and, yes, you're still on my now even shorter list of magical people.

One warning: don't let all these words of admiration and excessive compliments go to your head. I've heard there's a guy at Goodyear Dunlop who wears a different pair of earrings every day, sports countless variations of facial hair and designer clothing, picks all the right fights with all the right people, and has all the ladies falling at his feet... ah well, it's about time you had some real competition!

So 007, onwards and upwards, and remember you can still call on Miss Moneypenny when you need her ;-)