Member Interview with Alan Thompson

We are delighted to bring you a Member Interview with Alan Thompson formerly CEO at NRS Healthcare and previously Chief Customer Officer at Reckitt.

What’s your golden rule?

I have two!

1. Hope is not a strategy
2. If I can’t see it in the P&L it didn’t happen.

Who has been your biggest influence?

The mid 2000s execs at Reckitt (Bart Becht, Erhard Schoewel, Elio Leoni Sceti, Rob de Groot, Bruno de Labarre). I knew a lot about sales and marketing, but they taught me how to run a business. Erhard has just written a book, and I was astonished at how much of what I think today about business came from there. The learning was also delivered in a typically robust manner!

What is your most hated business expression?

"If it aint broke don't fix it"

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

Aside from learning to hire people for their mind set as much as their skillset, I guess if I had to choose one it would be driving phased retail distribution for the launch of Total Effects by Olay - it was controversial and counterintuitive, but it helped take the brand to market share leader only 1 month from launch.

Which leader do you admire most and why?

Thuli Madonsela - former Public Protector of South Africa. Absolute ethical clarity, allied to a sense of purpose, intelligence, and genuine bravery, it felt as if she almost single handedly stopped South Africa going over a cliff.

What keeps you up at night as a marketing leader?

Almost nothing ever keeps me up at night! From a marketing/business point of view, business cultures that spend their time thinking of all the reasons not to do something.

Why is being part of The Marketing Society important for your career?

It is where I keep current with the latest insights, trends, and talking points in the consumer world

Why does marketing matter to you?

At the heart of every business challenge there is a marketing challenge - what are you selling, who are you selling it to, and what do you want them to think?

Tell us something that’s not on your CV

I once had a job as Santa Claus

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Published on 29 May 2024