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| Alistair
joined the then British Association of Industrial Editors in 1984
when he was working as editor of Rowntree Mackintosh’s house
newspaper.
He had started his career as a reporter on the Stafford Newsletter, moving onto the Shropshire Star and the Wolverhampton Express and Star before transferring into internal communications as a sub-editor on Power News. He was one of the keenest advocates of the newest forms of technology, then known as Desk Top Publishing, and was believed to be one of the first industrial editors in the UK to adopt the new methodology. By 1988 he was a freelance writer/designer.
He won innumerable Association awards, including winner of the Headlines class in both 1992 and 1993, and winner of Best Newletter in the 1994 Northern awards competition. He was awarded a Fellowship in 1993 after a number of years service on Council and was national chairman of the re-named British Association of Communicators in Business in 1996/97. In 1998 he became an intrinsic member of a small working group tasked with reversing the Association’s financial situation being a member of the Chairman’s and Executive Committee, and organising a number of successful conferences. Despite the diagnosis of a brain tumour, his enthusiasm for this industry never wavered, and in 2003 he again went freelance working under the name ams-design. In 2007 confirmation was received that he now wished to be known as Alison Maria Smith, and despite the difficulties this situation undoubtedly caused, appeared to be very comfortable with the change. Sadly Alison suffered increasing ill-health through 2010 and our thoughts go out to her family and friends following her sad death on February 27th 2011. Kathie Jones
TributesI first met Alistair at Rowntrees, York, in about 1984. I had been producing their in-house newspaper, Rowntree-Mackintosh News, as a freelance, but with the plan to produce four local editions of the monthly, for the sites at Norwich, Halifax, Fawdon and Glasgow, in addition to York, with at least a couple of slip pages in each, they needed a full-time editor. I didn’t apply and the job went to Alistair. But I was lucky enough to stay on for around three years working with him. He was keen and he knew his job very well. He produced some powerful front pages urging shareholders to refuse the hostile bid from Nestlé in the late 1980s, but to no avail, and soon left to start out on his own. Rowntrees had been a great place to work. There were around 7,000 working at York, excellent sports and cultural facilities, and chocolate everywhere. So I was delighted when Alistair contacted me some time later to tell me he had recommended me for a return. He suggested a very good daily rate and it was too good an opportunity to miss although it was now Nestlé News. I am grateful to him for that. We kept in touch through Christmas cards and met occasionally at industry functions ... the last time in about 2008.
I did not know about his transformation so you can imagine my surprise at the funeral service when everything became clear. It was a non-religious service but one that success brought together all facets of an interesting life.
I was extremely saddened to hear, a little belatedly, of the death of Alison Maria Smith. I first knew him not long after he joined BAIE, as I had just returned to Northern Region at about the same time. While I involved myself in regional affairs, Alistair, as he was then, became very active in national events and we met from time to time at Council meetings and other functions. He also arranged for Northern Region members to visit Rowntree in York to see his DTP set-up, with which we were very impressed. This progressive move to new technology was typical of Alistair's professionalism and his enthusiasm for our industry. I always admired his abilities, both as a writer and also particularly as a designer and organiser, and was glad of his friendship. This Institute would have been much the poorer had he not joined and put much energy into his chairmanship, his organisation of several conferences and into being one of the small band who pulled the then BACB back from the brink of bankruptcy and extinction.
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His
business Prescom Publications was taken over by Barkers Trident
Communications Limited (subsequently better known as Trident) in 1995
and Alistair managed the group’s York office. 
