Obituary
“He didn’t once stay on script and
expletives were the order of the
day, but they all loved him.”
— Peter Hodson
instinctively recognised
potential the way he did.
Above all it was that quality
that allowed him to build
CloserStill into what it is
today – a business that sent
private equity into a spin,
paying vast sums to be part
of the journey with him. A
fact that gave him a lot of
pleasure as part of his anti-
capitalism agenda.
“Despite his success he
has shunned the limelight
throughout, although I will
never forget his altercation
with a cuddly ‘Giant Hound’
outside the commissioning
show! (It became a double
page spread in Time Out
magazine). I’ll also never
forget the time I asked Andy
to present to our funders;
he didn’t once stay on script
and expletives were the
order of the day, but they
all loved him. And I’ll never
know anybody that has
collected so many parking
tickets.
“Above all I feel extremely
fortunate to have had the
opportunity to hold on to
his coat tails and spend so
much time with him over
the last 15 years. The truth
is I wouldn’t be where I am
today if I hadn’t bumped into
Andy.”
NVM invested in
CloserStill Media, led by
Andy and the other key
directors, Michael Westcott
and Phil Nelson. He became
CEO of CloserStill, and the
London Vet Show became
the company’s first launch
on 6 November 2009. During
2009, CloserStill bought
into Pioneer Events, which
ran small pharmacy and
dentistry shows in the NEC.
Today CSM has 10 Vet Shows
worldwide and another three
planned.
The first PE deal
CloserStill did was in 2012,
when Phoenix invested, and
the company was valued
at £25m. In 2015 Inflexion
invested and the company
was valued at £115m.
Providence invested in 2018
when the enterprise value of
the company was reported as
£340m.
Andy stepped down as
CloserStill CEO, after eight
years, in January 2017.
CloserStill has won more
awards than any other trade
show company (47 and
counting) and is the only
company in the industry to
rank in the Sunday Times
Best 100 companies to work
for.
Peder Berg, CEO of
Accredit Solutions, recalls
meeting Andy: “I knew from
the minute I met him that I
was dealing with a force of
nature. Most recently, Andy
became our lead investor at
Accredit Solutions, and this
is when the fun really started
for me. He was fabulously
eccentric with laser vision,
the quickest wit I’ve ever
seen, an unwavering moral
compass, a total dedication
to Angela and his family
and, in his semi-retirement,
the worst personal time
management of anyone I’ve
ever known. If he wasn’t late
for a meeting, he was very
early, sometimes by a day or
two, but when he did arrive,
he got straight to the point.
“The last board meeting we
had with Andy at Accredit
was hilarious. He called
ahead to say he was going to
be late and I noticed there
was a parking spot open in
front of our building (if you
knew Andy, you knew he
drove everywhere. I’m not
sure if he even knew what an
Oyster Card was). As I was
standing in the spot saving
it for him, I notice his Jag
off in the distance driving
up, but something looked
a bit off. As he approached,
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Under his driver’s side
windscreen wiper was a tree
branch the size of a small
bush. As he got out, I pointed
to the branch and he seemed
surprised to find it there,
mumbling about how he
thought there was something
different in his view.
However, when he walked
into the board meeting, he
spent the next 2.5 hours
holding court, dissecting the
business, offering incredibly
insightful advice, and
generally inspiring everyone
in the room to be the best
they could be.
“Andy Center was one of
the most incredible people
I’ve ever known. He was a
great business partner and
an even greater friend. The
halls within the Accredit
offices are quieter, the hearts
of those who knew him well
are a little emptier, but the
passion and inspiration that
he left with us is an energy
that will never dissipate.
Rest in peace brother.”
Julian Agostini, MD of
Mash Media, concludes: “I’m
so sad about Andy; he is a
great loss to the industry. A
complete one-off, he was an
extraordinary, captivating
man who always held your
full attention. There is no
question that he lived on the
edge, but I do believe that
he was close to genius status
and that’s the nature of the
beast. A true ground-breaker,
total livewire, always
fizzing with ideas, hugely
inspirational character and
of course a natural leader. He
drove our industry forward
at some pace and has left an
amazing legacy…I would say
rest in peace, but Andy didn’t
really do rest or peace and
quiet. We’ll miss that energy
and effervescence.” EN
September — 11