2022, A message from the CEO

Adam King, CEO

Looking back at 2022 it is clear that we, as a company, have enjoyed being able to operate in a more settled, and dare I say it familiar, working environment. We have all been able to focus on the here and now and as a result we have been able to enjoy creating our maps as well as embrace the splendour of the outdoors in whatever way we choose.

For the first time in a long while we were able to attend outdoor industry events in 2022, meeting HARVEY fans old and new and establishing new connections with our customers in a way that was so obviously absent over the past few years.

The Outdoor EXPO, held at the NEC near Birmingham in March, was brilliant - two very busy days and thousands of people later, we were quickly reminded how beneficial these events can be. Speaking with customers, and importantly listening to them, is a wonderful way to measure progress and the variety of questions we are asked, and the topics they are keen to discuss with our staff never ceases to amaze me. We certainly look forward to attending the EXPO on March 18th 2023 and we hope to see you there also.

2022 also marked another small milestone in the history of HARVEY Maps. It is 45 years since the company was founded and for the past 5 years we have been employee owned. When Susan (Harvey) and Robin (Harvey) passed on ownership of the company in 2017, our Board of Trustees was formed and the ownership of the firm was effectively given to its employees.

The advantages of this model have come in many ways, but from my position as CEO it is clear that primarily it strengthens employee relations, ensures each and every member of the team has their voice heard, and that the overall result is dedication, enthusiasm and an underlying sense of satisfaction in working on products that make a real difference in the outdoors.

If we have been finding our feet in the first five years, I look forward to seeing what our team can achieve in the next five.

Looking ahead, whilst we must keep a watchful eye on the wider social and economic issues we are faced with currently in the UK and across the globe, it is important that myself and the rest of the team are positive in our approach, and continue to challenge the way we work in order to improve our products for the benefit of all of our customers.

We have a lot of interesting work to do in 2023 - we will of course be adding to our ever growing range of map titles whilst also working hard behind the scenes to make sure we continue to stay relevant. Things have changed a lot since we were founded in 1977, but our work today remains as focused and as important as ever.

It is always people who contribute the most to our evolution and, along with our great team of employee owners, our customers are the ones who make the difference. I hope you continue to enjoy our maps and I wish you all the very best for 2023.

Best wishes

Adam
CEO




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