I was at The Independent on its first day in 1986 and in some ways, nothing has really changed

Many of my tasks – from choosing which stories and images to use on the front page, to deciding how to cover breaking news – remain the same

Back in 1986 I was one of the founding members of The Independent. Today I am the only person from that crew still working here.

Those early days were, of course, highly exciting times, though I also have to admit to looking back with twinges of embarrassment. One such moment being the lecture I gave the guy sitting next to me, saying he was bonkers to consider leaving a famous, new national paper to dabble in travel writing. Bill Bryson rather proved me wrong on that one.

The feeling of being in at the start of something new and successful was thrilling, and decades on there is a similar sense of innovation with The Independent Daily Edition app, enabling our readers to enjoy the experience of a newspaper while using new technology.