David Jones

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.

In fact, the only British CEO of a French publicly listed company at the time. I'd never been able to do that without speaking French. Forget any of the other things. So there was that sort of journey that led me down an international path. But also, my wife and I, we met and we were super interested about not just being in London or Paris.

In fact, the only British CEO of a French publicly listed company at the time. I'd never been able to do that without speaking French. Forget any of the other things. So there was that sort of journey that led me down an international path. But also, my wife and I, we met and we were super interested about not just being in London or Paris.

And we decided we would either go and live in... We identified three places that had great ad industries. and that were really good places to go and live, which were Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Sydney. We started off going down to Sydney. Both of us got jobs down there. I arrived down there in 1998.

And we decided we would either go and live in... We identified three places that had great ad industries. and that were really good places to go and live, which were Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Sydney. We started off going down to Sydney. Both of us got jobs down there. I arrived down there in 1998.

And the piece about taking, you know, when I moved to Paris, I took a salary cut and moved to a more junior role than I'd been doing in the UK. And many people go, that's really dumb. But actually, it was the thing that caused the big leapfrog later on. I was heir apparent to be the next MD president at Abermead Vickers BBO in the UK. I was the youngest board director there.

And the piece about taking, you know, when I moved to Paris, I took a salary cut and moved to a more junior role than I'd been doing in the UK. And many people go, that's really dumb. But actually, it was the thing that caused the big leapfrog later on. I was heir apparent to be the next MD president at Abermead Vickers BBO in the UK. I was the youngest board director there.

I was running British Telecom, which at the time was the biggest account in Britain. And I left all of that to go and work at an ad agency in Sydney called URSCG. But it was that that allowed me to launch Australia's first ever digital agency. We were booking at 1.40% of all online media in Australia. We were four years in a row digital agency of the year.

I was running British Telecom, which at the time was the biggest account in Britain. And I left all of that to go and work at an ad agency in Sydney called URSCG. But it was that that allowed me to launch Australia's first ever digital agency. We were booking at 1.40% of all online media in Australia. We were four years in a row digital agency of the year.

I became the inaugural chairman of the Australian Digital Advertising Association. And that really put me on the map because I got tech and digital in the global company. And so all of these things sort of at the time, you don't necessarily do them because you think it's going to lead somewhere.

I became the inaugural chairman of the Australian Digital Advertising Association. And that really put me on the map because I got tech and digital in the global company. And so all of these things sort of at the time, you don't necessarily do them because you think it's going to lead somewhere.

But as you connect the dots back, many of the things that at the time, you know, why would you leave like Britain's biggest and best ad agency where you're in the pole position to go and work at some kind of small agency in Australia that didn't have the best reputation at the time. And it's like, well, actually, if I hadn't done that, I'd never have ended up.

But as you connect the dots back, many of the things that at the time, you know, why would you leave like Britain's biggest and best ad agency where you're in the pole position to go and work at some kind of small agency in Australia that didn't have the best reputation at the time. And it's like, well, actually, if I hadn't done that, I'd never have ended up.

So from then, I ended up being asked to do in New York what I'd done in Sydney. So moved to New York age sort of 36, 37. We turned the... Business around in 12 months and a year later, an activist investor took over Havas and said, would you like to be the global CEO of the main ad agency? So I think I was like 37, global CEO. I went from CEO of Australia in 2002 to global CEO in 2005.

So from then, I ended up being asked to do in New York what I'd done in Sydney. So moved to New York age sort of 36, 37. We turned the... Business around in 12 months and a year later, an activist investor took over Havas and said, would you like to be the global CEO of the main ad agency? So I think I was like 37, global CEO. I went from CEO of Australia in 2002 to global CEO in 2005.

One is about the different roles and what you do. And I think a healthy philosophy is just to go, well, what's the worst possible thing that can happen? Ironically, I sort of made up how good my French was when I got offered the job in Paris because I thought they were going to send me to Germany. And when they said, are they going to tell me they want me to go to Frankfurt?

One is about the different roles and what you do. And I think a healthy philosophy is just to go, well, what's the worst possible thing that can happen? Ironically, I sort of made up how good my French was when I got offered the job in Paris because I thought they were going to send me to Germany. And when they said, are they going to tell me they want me to go to Frankfurt?

And I'm going to say, I don't want to live in Germany. And when they said, we'd like to send you to Paris, I'm like, amazing. And then I go, shit, it says my French is fluent and it isn't. But you just kind of go, look, I'm going to get there. And either three months in, I'm going to get fired because my French isn't good enough, or I'll kind of bundle through and it will work out and it's fine.

And I'm going to say, I don't want to live in Germany. And when they said, we'd like to send you to Paris, I'm like, amazing. And then I go, shit, it says my French is fluent and it isn't. But you just kind of go, look, I'm going to get there. And either three months in, I'm going to get fired because my French isn't good enough, or I'll kind of bundle through and it will work out and it's fine.

And I think with all these things, you just go like, well, what's the worst case scenario? I mean, even when I set the company up today, what's the worst case scenario? I set it up. It's a failure. I can go back and get another big job in advertising. It's fine. And I think often people are too concerned about what could go wrong.