Genuine Humans

Sophie Devonshire’s had extensive experience in business, which she’s distilled into two books – Superfast and LoveWork (which she co-authored with Ben Renshaw). Sophie wants to show people that business can be a force for good and have a positive impact on society.

During her career – which has taken her around the world and working for businesses like Coca-Cola and agencies such as Leo Burnett – Sophie has found inspiration in many of her colleagues. From Gillette’s Gary Coombe and Octopus Energy’s Greg Jackson (both of whom she worked with at P&G) to leaders like José Neves, who she interviewed for Superfast, Sophie has always placed a lot of value on learning from genuine people with fascinating stories.

Sophie now leads the Marketing Society, where she’s incredibly proud of their work to support businesses and help shape the future of marketing.

When Lisa Delaney left her home in Calgary with just $500 in her pocket to find her dream consulting job in London, she couldn’t have imagined where it would take her.

Lisa’s worked for agencies and brands in London, Frankfurt and New York, and ran her own business – leading to her current position of Regional Head of Marketing & Digital Sales Europe for Cathay Pacific.

Lisa benefitted from parents who urged her to follow her dreams and bosses like Guenter Saurwein and Ed Fotheringham, who have been fantastic and inspiring teachers.

For Lisa, one of the most important messages she wants people to hear is to follow their dreams and to do everything possible for the chance to do what they love.

Mils Banji’s on a mission. Through his company, TapIn, Mils wants to prepare 100 million young people for the world of work. 

This week, Mils joins Tamara and Wendy to chat about what inspired him to set this inspirational goal for himself. We hear how his early childhood in Zambia and his experiences once his family moved to the UK, helped shape his drive to learn, explore and inspire people. 

We also hear how his mentor, Kunle Babarinde, helped guide Mils to early success with TapIn.

If there’s one thing Mils would advise anyone interested in starting their own business, it would be to get comfortable with failure. We all fail. But it’s by picking ourselves up and trying again that we find out what we’re truly capable of.

Joining Tamara and Wendy this week is the incredible Sherilyn Shackell, founder and CEO of The Marketing Academy, the non-profit organisation which inspired and develops the best talent at all levels in marketing, media and communications. 

Her story is extraordinary. She left school at 16 to join the family business, following in the footsteps of her entrepreneurial mother who inspired her. But  a series of devastating family events shook her world apart, leading her to drive herself so hard in her work that she ended up in intensive care in her early 40s. 

She completely changed her life, focusing on her purpose, her family, and how she might do good in the world. The result was the Marketing Academy, which Sherilyn founded, centred around an absolute belief that marketing, media and advertising, done well, can make a profound change for the better in the world.

Sherilyn talks about her personal experience, why time is her most precious commodity, her purpose and direction for the Marketing Academy, and how to inspire new, emerging and diverse talent into the industry.

Jorie Sax says she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. A psychology degree and an early career in law started her on a diverse path that has led her into senior roles at the Chicago White Sox, Miller Coors and now United Airlines. 

On the podcast, Jorie talks about the leaders who had the imagination to see her potential, and who encouraged her creative thinking.

Jorie Sax has always carved her own path, exploring roles that make her happy and let her be her full self. She talks honestly about the challenges of working for an airline through lockdown, and how it spawned the opportunity to create the innovation lab she now heads up. It’s an inspiring story of determination and creativity. 

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Tom Wallis, CMO at Gusto. 

Tom taught himself how to code as a child and graduated with a degree in engineering, which could explain his obsession with data and measurement in marketing. He was part of the team behind the success of the launch of the NOW TV box (taking it from zero to a million customers), before joining Gusto as CMO. Tom admits to being quite laid-back, and talks about how, in his early career, he benefited from working with very driven leaders, like his boss at NOW TV, Pascal Wharton.

As a leader, Tom is keenly aware of the power his words and actions can have, and he’s always looking for opportunities to learn. 

In this week’s Genuine Humans podcast, Tamara and Wendy are joined by the amazing Tina Fegent, who is a pioneer in marketing procurement, as one of the first people to drive the development of the industry in the UK.

Tina has more than 25 years’ experience as a global marketing procurement consultant and has her own eponymous consultancy; she chairs the CIS marketing group; and she has the brilliant role of co-chair of the ‘Get Shit Done’ group at the Conscious Advertising network, which promotes ethical advertising. Her experience both agency and client-side working with brands such as Cellnet, GSK and Orange has proved invaluable in marketing buying. 

She talks about her working class upbringing in South London and how her Mum influenced her through her life, the importance of giving back to society and supporting the people around you, the challenges of being a woman in an industry dominated by men, and why people still think she buys pencils for a living!

This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Leo Morejon, who is probably best known for his team’s creation of the ‘dunk in the dark’ tweet from Oreo, a campaign that swept Cannes in 2013. Leo’s career has spanned agency, brand and technical sides of marketing. He talks about how he’s got comfortable with being uncomfortable, his early dream of being an inventor, and why he’s excited about the future of the internet. 

Leo Morejon also cites key mentors during his career – such as David Rosenberg (who he worked with at JWT) and Bryan Wiener (who he worked with at 360i), and how they taught him things that – while hard to hear at the time – continue to be lessons he uses every day.

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy talk to the charismatic James Davies, head of marketing at First Direct, about his path to success.

From wanting to be a bin man at three years old to developing a passion for writing letters through his youth, James’ career saw him rise through HSBC to take on one of the most coveted roles in financial marketing, at First Direct. His key qualities – empathy and focusing on purposeful action – are evident and have been honed over the last few years, a result of both the challenges of the pandemic and what he says is the bravest thing he’s ever done, becoming a father. 

James also talks about the leaders who’ve inspired and mentored him in his career, in particular Jenny Clarke from his time at Coutts and Tricia Weiner from his time at HSBC.

It’s been 20 years since Tamara Littleton founded The Social Element, so what better time to sit down and chat about what led Tamara here? 

Series five of The Genuine Human’s podcast kicks off with Wendy Christie and Emma Harris talking to Tamara about everything from her early Masterchef-worthy escapades in the kitchen to the vision that led her to create this now 250 people strong agency.

Tamara’s love of work is legendary, a passion that was influenced by her former boss and inspiration, Ian Jindal. In this episode, we hear how Tamara’s inclusive and empathetic approach to leadership has created a team where everyone is accepted.