Looking through our lockdown lessons feature, I found myself struggling to comprehend that all this started more than a year ago, because while so much has happened in some ways, in others very little has.

The good news is that so far we’re following the government’s roadmap out of lockdown to the letter and as every restriction lifts, so does optimism and confidence – the two critical components of any recovery. (And we have to start thinking about recovery, even if it feels like we’re tempting fate after previous false starts.)

Understandably, some will be more wary of the ‘R’ word than others, because the impact of the pandemic has been incredibly divisive for the industry. Some firms have flown and grown, others suffered but recovered and then there are those that have been forced or chosen to all but hibernate for the past 12 months – with each’s fate essentially tied to the markets they trade in.

So, it was interesting to read the frank recollections of the dozen print bosses from differing sectors, because while their experiences may have varied in some respects, in others, like the importance of their people and how nothing – nothing – could have prepared them for what was to come, they were essentially of one voice.

And while their views on what is to come next varied from concerns about the impact of insolvencies as government support comes to an end to excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead, one thing’s for certain... the next 12 months are going to go even quicker than the last.