Page 8 - Remembering ISTEL

Remembering ISTEL

2023, is up for sale and re-
development in 2024. So
there is a real danger that the
ISTEL story will be forgotten.

Dave, having spent 30+ years
with ISTEL in its many guises,
started to contact former
colleagues to gauge reaction
Although it branched out into many business sectors, the
Automotive Industry was always key to ISTEL’s success. to the project. This has proved
Motorsport sponsorship was mainstay of its marketing very fruitful and word of the
strategy. project has now spread to
many former employees. The second initiative was to create a focused Facebook group
– ISTEL ex employees – to help spread the word outside of Dave and Derek’s contacts
again this has been very beneficial to the aims of the project. Over 300 former members
of ISTEL stall are now in contact via the group.

When the Facebook group was created they had no idea what level of interest there
would be. Once it started it became apparent that we were not the only ones with fond
memories of ISTEL. What we found even
more surprising was that people had
kept an amazing range of ISTEL
mementos. These included ties, awards,
promotional clothing , ear plugs and all
manner of things. They have received
lots of photos too. This demonstrates
the enthusiasm and affection for the
company people had working there.

The need for the project has proved to
be so high that they have been able to

include support from several senior
managers from ISTEL, including John The Computer Data Centre (CDC) - A state-of-Art
Leighfield who was the Chairman and facility at the heart of BL Systems rise to
Chief Executive of ISTEL and Chris international IT company.
Chiles the former Managing Director.
John’s enthusiasm for the project included a visit to Redditch from his home in
Oxfordshire to meet Dave and Derek during which he donated many of his personal
collection of artefacts to them.

These artefacts have enabled the story of ISTEL’s rise to one of the leading IT companies
in the 80s and 90s, including the story behind the Management led, employee buyout in
1986 and the sale of ISTEL to AT&T in 1989, to be recorded for posterity.

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