Taking Stock - Souter and no tie causes confusion at Stagecoach's PR

Dressing down for work has been a topic of much interest among large sections of the profession since Arthur Andersen announced it was allowing workers to come to the office without donning the traditional suit and tie combination. But the concept of dressing-down is not such a radical departure. One well-known advocate of the dress-down lifestyle is the chairman of transport group Stagecoach, accountant Brian Souter, who has long been famous for his stylish cardigans and carrier bag. However, in a development that is sure to worry Andersens bosses, Souter’s appearance has caused a certain amount of consternation at Stagecoach’s public relations company. TS has been reliably informed that there was an occasion when the agency’s staff mistook Souter for someone who – let’s be diplomatic about this – wasn’t dressed perhaps quite as well as one might expect for the chairman of a multimillion pound company. Consequently, they were perhaps not as courteous as they should have been to such an important client. To prevent a repeat of this embarrassing episode, the agency’s staff are now warned to expect Souter before he is due to call. Coincidentally, Souter is an ex-Android. And, while employed by the Big Five firm in its Glasgow office, he was reprimanded for wearing jumpers underneath his pinstripes. It seems that some things never change.