90 Seconds with Adrian Mooney
Emma Calder, Manager of the FMCG recruitment practice at tml Partners, sat down with Adrian Mooney, Consultant Marketing Director at Hovis, to get his thoughts on career development, opportunities and challenges for marketing leaders, and influential leadership.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
I started my career in commercial roles in private label, where getting anything wrong or missing deadlines could result in penalties. My boss always instilled in me the importance of “never assuming” after I had made that mistake, which caused us to miss a deadline. Another valuable piece of advice I received is to “define the problem,” drawing from the insights of Japanese guru Kenichi Ohmae during my time at Goodfella’s while working for Paul Reenan. Although it used to frustrate us spending days defining the problem, it ultimately saves a significant amount of time in the long run!
What future opportunities do you think marketing and communications will create over the next five years?
In the last 5 years, we have seen greater automation and AI grow at rates to transform our industry and so to have a crystal ball to define what’s next is a bit of a hit and hope! However, the increase in immediate product and service, delivery of it at point of need and personalisation for individuals will further develop into all sectors. We as Marketing Directors need to translate what that means for our brands and revenue.
What has had the most influential impact on your leadership career and why?
I like to look back on work led by Sally Abbott, now MD at Weetabix as some of the most impactful. Sally is one of the most intuitive marketers I know and allows her teams to have licence to develop ideas and new work. I admire her resilience and adaptability to move from Marketing to being a CEO and working under the pressure of US PE ownership, Chinese buyout and now onto a trade sale and ownership with Post Foods.
How are you planning for beyond 2023?
Three key things for me are. 1. What is the consumer thinking and how are they behaving that may need us to pivot? 2. How are we doing vs competition in routes to market/execution/conversion – how is our share and how is our growth. 3. What can technology do to make our plans and spends more effective and efficient.
What career advice would you now give to yourself 10 years ago?
There is a great book recommended to me by David Davenport Firth at Ogilvy Health, ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers. It helped me take a leap to being involved in setting up a start-up. It was a decision to forgo security and certainty for a chance to challenge myself at a time of great personal change in my life. I am glad that I did, as the move has allowed me to keep up to date with digital in a way that some of my peers haven’t been able to do.
What’s the toughest interview question you’ve ever asked or been asked?
It’s one I ask of others and was asked of me. The answer involves 9 words. No two words can be the same and it must be a visceral answer. The question is in three parts:
1. Give three words that your boss would use to describe you? 2. Give three words that your best friend would use to describe you? 3. Give three words that your Partner ( replaced by Mother, if no partner) would use to describe you? I feel it gives a very immediate picture of the person’s professional and social apects as well as a little insight behind the mask. Some find it a hard one to answer (I know I did!), but feedback from most is that its a rewarding perspective to share.
Who is your business hero and why?
I have never shared this properly enough with him, but I really admire an ex University peer of mine – Piers Fawkes who is the CEO/Founder of PSFK, a retail and consumer trends business in New York. He left for New York around twenty years ago having faltered a little in his career in London agency-land. However, with the power of his intellect and being a great guy to work with and for, he has created a value proposition that few others can offer and is now onto a winner with his AI platform Trend God. I think this is pretty heroic. Well done Piers.
Who are tml Partners?
tml Partners are a specialist marketing headhunter with access to a global network of marketing leaders.
Whether you’re seeking interim or permanent solutions, our team have the expertise to support across various sectors and locations.
To learn how tml Partners can help you, get in touch with Emma Calder:
