Any organization can only be as strong as the collective strengths of the individuals within the set‐up. As statements of the obvious go, that must rank pretty high. It follows, of course, that sustaining that strength through succession planning should be of prime importance to companies which want to stay ahead of the game. Good senior managers, the people who bring out the best in those individuals, move on or retire. If the corporate machine is to remain well oiled and highly effective, successors must be people of at least equal calibre.