Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen:
I wasn’t there, I’m not that old but Martin Luther King Junior, “I have a dream” speech played an important role in passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Sadly, equality for all is still work in progress
Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours):
O2’s sponsorship of the England RFU, consistently good for over twenty years
Best agency (that isn’t yours):
Bright Marketing, creative campaigns that deliver great results
Best young industry talent:
Most people are younger than me so loads to choose from! I’d say Robin Fenwick, Right Formula
Best sporting event attended:
Ryder Cup Gleneagles 2014
Best sporting event on TV:
Rugby World Cup Final 2003, England beating Australia
Best brand ambassador:
Tiger Woods for Nike, took them into golf and made them a fortune.
Best box set:
The Last Dance
Best industry event or conference:
I don’t like any of them.
Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business:
Senna, a thrilling and inspiring film which clearly illustrates the perils of Formula One in the early Nineties.
Best book recommendation:
Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
Best bar or pub:
The Coach and Horses, Wellington Street, Covent Garden- Great Guinness, wonderful staff and the best salt beef sandwich you’ll ever have
Best restaurant:
Langan’s Brasserie for fun, I always bump into people there I know. La Colombe D’Or at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, my first introduction to French fine dining which left an indelible impression on what fine food and wine is all about.
Best holiday resort:
Palma, Mallorca or, to chill out, Bom Sucesso on Portugal’s Silver Coast
Best influence on your career:
Ray Kelly, who was CEO of Aegis in the UK, and gave me my first “proper” job in advertising.
In sponsorship I have a huge admiration for Karen Earl (below) who was a pioneer of sponsorship in the UK and who I worked with when I was a Director of the European Sponsorship Association and she was Chair
Best dinner companions (min 4, max 6):
Billy Connolly, Ian Hislop, Jennifer Saunders, Sam Torrance, Claire Balding and my wife, Juliet, so we can talk about them after we’ve all gone home
Best job in the sports biz:
I love golf so CEO of the European Tour
Best professional regret:
Regrets are not helpful as we only have them with the benefit of hindsight. However, knowing what I know now I wish I had set up my own business sooner, I enjoy every day.
Best skill you most covet:
Great public speaking
Best trait you admire in others:
People who make me laugh
Best overrated virtue:
Loyalty
Best ambition:
Health, happiness and wealth in that order