David Jones

Got a very stroppy letter from him saying he couldn't believe I was leaving for a tennis tournament without having secured a final year internship. And back then, email wasn't the thing. So I just picked up the phone, called a whole bunch of ad agencies, pretended to several of them that I was the marketing director of Coca-Cola and asked to speak to their CEO as I was running a pitch.

And everyone put me through. And then 50% of the people I spoke to were like, you're a complete time waste. You'll never get a job in this industry. And 50% were like, that's quite smart. I'm obviously not going to see you, but I'll put you in touch with the person who runs our internship program. And long story short, landed on an internship in advertising and kind of never looked back.

And everyone put me through. And then 50% of the people I spoke to were like, you're a complete time waste. You'll never get a job in this industry. And 50% were like, that's quite smart. I'm obviously not going to see you, but I'll put you in touch with the person who runs our internship program. And long story short, landed on an internship in advertising and kind of never looked back.

I think there's a thread all about understanding people. And actually, that was what fascinated me about the person who came. He was a head of planning from an agency called BMP in the UK who'd kind of invented strategic planning and just talking about people and what motivated people and how you change people's behavior.

I think there's a thread all about understanding people. And actually, that was what fascinated me about the person who came. He was a head of planning from an agency called BMP in the UK who'd kind of invented strategic planning and just talking about people and what motivated people and how you change people's behavior.

That was the first piece, which I just thought, this is really interesting because I'm fascinated by people and what makes them tick and really into creativity. And it was a golden era. UK advertising back then was pretty amazing. TV advertising back then, it was a very different world. What's going on in the world of tech and Gen AI today is exactly what was going on in TV back then.

That was the first piece, which I just thought, this is really interesting because I'm fascinated by people and what makes them tick and really into creativity. And it was a golden era. UK advertising back then was pretty amazing. TV advertising back then, it was a very different world. What's going on in the world of tech and Gen AI today is exactly what was going on in TV back then.

And then I was like, hey, I want to go on this tennis tournament. I don't really have time to wait for lots of replies. So what's the fastest way of doing it? We just call people. But are they really going to listen to someone saying, hey, I'm a student. I'd like an internship. No. But if you pretend that you're a big client and you're going to do a pitch, you'll get through to anyone.

And then I was like, hey, I want to go on this tennis tournament. I don't really have time to wait for lots of replies. So what's the fastest way of doing it? We just call people. But are they really going to listen to someone saying, hey, I'm a student. I'd like an internship. No. But if you pretend that you're a big client and you're going to do a pitch, you'll get through to anyone.

And then, you know, from then on, it's just it's a bit of a lottery as to what happens.

And then, you know, from then on, it's just it's a bit of a lottery as to what happens.

There's another thread, which is just about learning from different countries and cultures. And also many of the things I did early on in my career. were potentially stupid moves because you're stepping out of something that is what you should be doing.

There's another thread, which is just about learning from different countries and cultures. And also many of the things I did early on in my career. were potentially stupid moves because you're stepping out of something that is what you should be doing.

And the fast version I ended up, because I spoke German, getting a crazy amount of responsibility on a pitch because at the time, no one in the UK really cared about pan-European advertising. And I thought international and global was the future. So I pitched with the CEO and the MD. I presented to Henkel's worldwide board when I was 21 and we ended up winning the business.

And the fast version I ended up, because I spoke German, getting a crazy amount of responsibility on a pitch because at the time, no one in the UK really cared about pan-European advertising. And I thought international and global was the future. So I pitched with the CEO and the MD. I presented to Henkel's worldwide board when I was 21 and we ended up winning the business.

So they asked me to stay on. But firstly, the fact that I'd lived and worked in

So they asked me to stay on. But firstly, the fact that I'd lived and worked in

germany that i understood german culture that i spoke german gave me a level of responsibility that i would never have had if i'd just been the english intern speaking english and then that led to me wanting my next move and i moved out to paris to work at j waltz thompson and i didn't speak french and i had a really tough time for a year or so but then i learned fluent french and french culture and all of those things just add to your learning and knowledge and understanding

germany that i understood german culture that i spoke german gave me a level of responsibility that i would never have had if i'd just been the english intern speaking english and then that led to me wanting my next move and i moved out to paris to work at j waltz thompson and i didn't speak french and i had a really tough time for a year or so but then i learned fluent french and french culture and all of those things just add to your learning and knowledge and understanding

both in terms of cultures and in terms of doing business in different ways, in terms of particularly if you come from the US or the UK, where you're usually used to sitting at the center thinking you know how the world is. And actually, no, you don't. So it's good to be on that. And then the language piece. I mean, I ended up CEO of a French publicly listed company.