A Tale of Two Brands
Media man John Pearson is back working with Richard Branson and Virgin – having previously been Virgin Radio’s CEO during the company’s most formative, turbulent and successful years.
After launching the national station and winning a prestigious London FM licence, John was part of the management buyout with Chris Evans that created The Ginger Media Group. Subsequently he played a significant role in the sale of The Ginger Media group to Scottish Media Group for £230million. However, he left shortly after the sale the SMG.
Now back as MD Europe at Virgin Radio International, John talks about Virgin’s corporate culture when he’s speaking at business events. He believes that great corporate culture can be taught: “Virgin has a unique set of values and behaviour that empowers staff to act in a Virgin way,” explains John. “These values define the invisible code of best Virgin practice and form the unique strand of Virgin DNA. By understanding the Virgin Values and how they work, not only are they transportable – you can identify the core values already working within your business and start to use them for competitive advantage.”
John is also chairman at Shazam, a digital music business with a special focus on the burgeoning mobile market. When he joined the group back in 2006 Shazam’s CEO Andrew Fisher told the press:
“His track record of establishing world-class market-leading consumer music offerings will prove invaluable, particularly as we enter a significant growth phase in new markets, while also concentrating on strategically enhancing our long term integrated position.”
John Pearson’s ideas on business culture are undoubtedly influenced by his experiences working with Richard Branson and Chris Evans. But nonetheless he’s very much his own man and his views on how to do business in a recession are typical of the way he thinks:
“In a recession accountability becomes the ultimate KPI,” says Pearson, “but the best things cannot be measured. How do you measure the value of your staff – their engagement, commitment, motivation and trust do not appear on your balance sheet but will give you a competitive edge as things improve.
“There seems to be a belief that in today’s complex business market, being in business needs complicated solutions. Ask yourself – is your business making progress or engaged in time-wasting process? Now is exactly the right time to look for simple transforming moves – there may never be a better opportunity”.
His story is a valuable one to hear, it’s the sound of success in action. Sharing the knowledge and experience of people like John Pearson is an essential part of our personal development, it’s both instructional and inspirational.
Andy Jonesco, CEO of AOL UK has said of him:
“John has a unique ability to make everything appear simple that engages his audience and inspires thinking without boundaries. His energy and warm style combine to deliver a great message.”
John Pearson will be joining Rene Caroyal to discuss life, success and business culture at the next Inspired Leaders Network event in at the BPP Business School in London on November 22, 2011. Register using the link below if you’d like to come along to see their chat.
Register your place here