Some men are born to do City commentary. Some achieve it. Some have it thrust upon them. With David Buik it was all three.
The ubiquitous City mouth piece said last week he’s leaving Panmure Gordon and plans to, if not retire, slow down considerably.
He is 73, so fair enough. Mind you, I distinctly remember him retiring years ago. There was a big party in his honour at The Royal Exchange.
He made a moving speech. We all clapped. Then he carried on working.
Buik must have been more successful at getting publicity for his firm(s) than anyone in City history.
He did it by being informed, opinionated and relentlessly available (that he was a good host at lunch and the cricket may not have hurt his cause).
Sometimes, he was so Everywhere, newspapers would issue a ban on his use. That would last for about two weeks, until the hack-in-a-panic turned into the Mayor of Gotham and reached for the Bat Phone.
Part of his skill is in not taking offence. (He might explain why you’re full of it, but that’s a different thing.)
Assuming he is serious this time, there is a Buik shaped hole in City commentary opening up. If I were a flak with a client who wanted to fill it, I might ring the old boy up, offer him lunch and ask him for some tips…
