Life after Felix: Why Dennis Publishing is branching into charity with the Heart of England Forest

In a few, disarmingly brief and brave words Felix encapsulated what I now know to be true. A company is bigger than any one single person, no matter how sharp and charismatic they are. Its values and success don’t depend on any one voice but on a series of deeply held values and the effort and cohesion of hundreds of people. Jobs knew it, Tim Cook knows it and so did Felix.

As Dennis Publishing powers through 2015, I think it’s now clear to everyone that we are as driven, entrepreneurial and commercially aggressive as we ever were. In the last six months we have acquired no less than four brands, launched two and have plenty more planned.

This comes on the back of four years of growth – we are nearly a third bigger than we were back in 2009 – and a record year for the company; both our profit and turnover hit a 40-year high-water mark in 2014.

Dennis Publishing had a record 2014

All change, no matter how drastic or tragic, brings about opportunity and that’s exactly how I see this year and beyond for Dennis Publishing.

We are very fortunate to have new and supportive owners in the form of the Heart of England Forest, a charity set up by Felix to create the largest native forest in England.

As with everything Dennis, it’s an ambitious project that will one day see 30,000 acres of land converted back to one huge forest, teeming with wildlife and open to the public. As a company we are part of this plan, diverting a share of our profits to create this wonderful and generous woodland.

I am often asked if being owned by a charity will somehow blunt our commercial edge? My response is that it will do quite the opposite.

The ability to shape the future and create such an epic legacy is a far more exciting purpose than fattening up an investment house, feeding private equity or making an already rich individual, richer. Everyone who works at Dennis has the opportunity to be involved as much or as little as they like, from tree planting days in Warwickshire to just being part of a company that is making the money to help build the forest.

This compelling purpose is our secret weapon in a media world dominated by drab institutions, who measure financial success in months rather than years. The Heart of England Forest is the only organisation I know with a 100-year business plan. And we’re part of it.

The Heart of England aims to create the largest native forest in the country

We also have a strong mandate to grow as a company. We have the talent, ambition and finances to make it happen. As a media company, we virtually stand alone in that we have no debt and an owner who positively encourages us to take risks. We are blessed with a portfolio of market leading brands, including The Week, Auto Express and Octane. Over 25 per cent of our rapidly growing turnover comes from our digital activities.

There is no complacency or lack of edge here, far from it, just a desire to be the most successful media company in the UK whilst remaining a "great place to work".

Can Dennis can still be as fiercely creative and innovative without Felix at the helm?

Given the last five launches, including the multi-award winning Cyclist magazine, the innovative read-it-as-it’s-made evo app and hugely successful carbuyer.co.uk were all ideas that came from within the company, Felix’s entrepreneurial spirit clearly lives on in the staff at Dennis Publishing. He’s taught us only too well how to spot opportunity and grab it both hands.

After years of telling us “just to get on with it”, he wouldn’t be surprised to find that we’re doing exactly that.

James Tye is chief executive of Dennis Publishing. He is speaking about the Heart of England Forest at this year’s Advertising Week Europe.