Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, SVP of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.

And we are back this week with Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan.

Last week, we dove deep into his childhood growing up & how everything was stacked against him: he was the only black person in his family and community, was working class and grew up in a housing estate, attended a polytechnic, experienced blatant racism and physical abuse and also had zero connections in advertising

The very industry that he rose to the very top in.

In Part 2, we delve deep into his career.

What it means to join Coca-Cola when it was creatively bankrupt, the stories behind some of his biggest and most successful advertising campaigns including have two ads being featured at the same Superbowl, why he gave it all up for a then unknown startup called Airbnb, what it takes to ‘make it’ in his team and so much more.

And in case you didn’t know, this interview is also available on Youtube. Check it out via the links below.

Now are you ready?

Let’s go!

Highlights:

• 2:17 Coca-Cola was creatively bankrupt?!
• 7:31 Being Coca-Cola's poster child for diversity - 2014 Super Bowl [America the Beautiful]
• 15:35 The only CMO to have 2 Super Bowl ads play at the same time
• 16:14 How Brian Chesky convinced Jonathan to commit career suicide
• 22:10 Building an Olympic marketing team
• 26:08 Why 25% of people don't make it in Jonathan's team
• 27:17 Who is Jonathan Mildenhall the leader?
• 29:25 Launching his own company
• 37:12 A Colourful View from the Top
• 41:52 Advice to any aspiring CMO before they take the seat?
• 44:20 Brand marketing or customer marketing?

🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150

🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, Senior Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.

In other words, someone at the very top of the marketing industry.

Who was once treated as an experiment.

Growing up in Leed, Jonathan faced tremendous physical and racial abuse. It got so bad that he once ran to his mum, telling her that he didn’t want to be black!

But his mum responded by saying, “Unfortunately, there are ignorant people who will always be frightened because you look different. And they're going to say hurtful things and sometimes they will do hurtful things.

You can't change your packaging but they can never ever damage what's inside of your packaging.”

Eventually, Jonathan found his calling - in marketing!

Even though the odds were stacked against him: he was from a polytechnic, grew up in a council estate, was black and had no family name to fall back on.

But as it turns out, he had a spark.

And that spark was what drew people to him.

Allowed him to rise to the top of the London marketing scene and dominate the global scene later as he became a Senior Vice President at the Coca-Cola Company and the first CMO at Airbnb.

If ever there was a story of someone who has triumphed against all odds, it would be Jonathan.

So are you ready to learn how he did it?

Let’s go.

Highlights

• 3:23 The 8-year-old Jonathan
• 8:08 Keeping a childlike wonder
• 12:01 Show a bit of leg!
• 15:51 Protecting his mum’s independence
• 19:12 Advertising is NOT for you?!
• 22:03 The awkward “oh my goodness, you’re a black guy”
• 24:22 The energy of the 80s advertising industry
• 26:17 You’re an experiment
• 30:43 Meeting John Hegarty of BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)
• 35:35 Cindy Gallup dragged him out of the closet!
• 43:47 Living authentically
• 45:10 I was shit scared
• 50:10 Phil Mooney - Director of Heritage Communications for 40+ years at the Coca-Cola Company

🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150

🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Rodney Wong is the CEO of Munchy's, one of the largest Malaysia-based snack food manufacturer with presence in over 60 countries globally.

Which makes him the Willy Wonka of Malaysia!

And he's had quite the varied career.

From tobacco to Coca-Cola, Petronas and now the world of snacks and sweets, Rodney is testimony to the fact that we all need to take charge of our own career and personal development to get to where we want.

The question is... how?

While everyone's path is different, Rodney's shared his personal journey, highlighting the people who were significant in his journey, why paying forward is so important him, what it's like working with founders on their 'baby' and his vision for the future.

Want to hear what one of Malaysia's top entrepreneurs has to say about building success career?

Stick around and you'll find out!

Highlights

• 2:41 Rooted in family
• 3:18 Being an archaeologist
• 6:21 Structured way of working
• 7:23 Connecting the dots
• 8:45 Take charge of your own development
• 11:41 What success looks like
• 13:43 I have a hard rule
• 15:05 Paying it forward
• 16:28 Major learnings
• 18:35 Gen Z
• 23:31 Being in Shanghai
• 25:11 KOLs
• 27:07 Do you want to expand the market or improve the bottom line?
• 29:03 The challenge of working with founders
• 31:58 We're going to sell...
• 34:50 Progression & growth
• 36:38 Personal growth
• 42:35 Soka Gakkai
• 44:38 How can people help you?
• 48:53 Do you feel like you've found your why?
• 48:54 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
• 50:47 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?

🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/dx_ePevgoRU&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ

🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/149

💌 Subscribe to the weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605

We're back with Part 2 with Dato' Sri Idris Jala - the former CEO of Malaysia Airlines, Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka and Senator & Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office, and current Chairman of PEMANDU.

In Part 1 of this So This Is My Why feature, we delved into his tribal origins, how becoming top of his class was a matter of life and death, and his journey to becoming the Managing Director in Shell Sri Lanka - still his toughest gig to date. Listen here: https://youtu.be/KekuCGZJYlk

In Part 2, we go even deeper, exploring things like:

🔸 If Dato' Sri Idris would act the same way if he had a chance to redo everything?

🔸 How Shell moved Idris out of Sri Lanka because he was taking huge risks and they thought, “We should take you out before you kill yourself!”

🔸 What he learned from Michael Black

🔸 How he put Eddy Leong as the first CEO of Firefly because “he’s a bit crazy but he has the tenacity to push it”

🔸 Why he gave up the job he really wanted - to be the Chairman of Shell - to become the CEO of Malaysia Airlines

🔸 The advice he has for his sons

Want to learn more?

You’ll just have to tune in.

Highlights:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:30 If you had a chance, would you redo anything?
• 6:01 Shell was a fantastic school of management
• 6:43 Why Michael Black left such an impact on him
• 10:52 If you really want to do the real impossible stuff, you must put everything on the line
• 12:06 The line between the impossible goal v being foolhardy
• 14:54 The best way to tell you what you don't want to hear?
• 15:39 Why did you reject your dream job?!
• 16:46 Huge leap of faith - MNC to GLC
• 18:46 Launching a budget airline, Firefly
• 23:36 Common values of incredible people
• 24:43 Making it sustainable
• 29:07 Common issues
• 35:27 Lessons from PEMANDU operating in other countries
• 37:23 Check into Hotel California
• 39:14 Having a soulmate
• 44:16 SOW Club - Scared of Wife Club
• 48:58 Advice to sons
• 53:46 Legacy you want to leave behind?
• 54:03 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?

🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/lhIUOf7jSKs

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/148

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

When Dato Sri Idris Jala became the Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka, he wasn’t expecting to hold the country on ransom.

The Sri Lanka unit had already experienced 27 years of continuous losses when he took over. And on Day 1, what Idris had to handle was: bombs strapped to his depot, the kidnapping of his transport manager, a major labour strike and…

Threatening letters sent by a professional sniper who knew where he lived, where he worked, when he left each place and the exact route he took each other.

Tough doesn’t even begin to cover it.

But Idris turned it around.

And in the latest STIMY episode, he shares how, why he took on such a tough gig and what continues to drive him.

There were so many gems in his 2-hour interview that it’s only right to have split it into two parts.

This is Part 1.

Which opens up with his childhood in the Borneo Highlands - where his dad would throw him into the pigsty when he misbehaved.

And also insisted that they sleep on the floor of the stinky fish market - because they were travelling with neighbouring tribes who couldn’t afford a tribe and “they shouldn’t act different from others”.

Education, for him back then, was a matter of life and death.

His North Star then was to be the top of his class.

So he asked his dad, a teacher, for advice.

He was told, “Very simple, son. Find out who’s currently No. 1, be his or her best friend, and do exactly what he does but put it to the power of 10.”

And so Idris just did. 😂

Others highlights:

🔸 Surviving ghostly encounters & treacherous rapids in the Borneo Highlands

🔸 His spiritual awakening as part of the Bario Revival

🔸 The concept of “ketuit” (which is kelabit for ‘kiasu’ or being very competitive)

🔸 Why his cocky job application letters were successful - he began his letters with the words, “Dear Sir, I’m the man you’re looking for”!

🔸 Why ‘the graveyard is full of indispensable people’

🔸 The impossible game

Highlights:

• 3:15 Storytelling culture
• 4:33 Thrown into the pigsty!
• 7:06 Ketuit
• 7:40 What does winning mean?
• 8:26 My true north then & the trick to achieving it
• 10:05 Becoming a lawyer
• 15:48 Walking through the cemetery
• 17:19 The Bario spiritual revival
• 21:50 Not quite from God? The Gestapo inquiry
• 25:03 Post-Revival
• 29:08 Not able to go to New Zealand
• 31:55 The ‘magic’ in his cocky letters
• 34:01 Wanting a free flight home
• 42:28 Sense of curiosity
• 47:02 Becoming Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka & the game of the impossible
• 51:49 He makes every big decision with his wife
• 54:03 Never make the position become you
• 55:22 Fear & holding the country at ransom?

🙊 Support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day! - https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

🎙️Show notes/transcript: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/148

💌 Subscribe to weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605

“When people say it’s ok, I don’t need a family, I don’t need a partner, I say bullshit.”

Woon Tai Ho is most known for being the founder of Channel News Asia & author of prolific books like the trilogy by George Yeo (Singapore’s former foreign minister).

But has the success been worth it?

What are some of his biggest regrets in life?

In Part 1 (which you should listen to if you haven’t), we explored all of his big career achievements and the challenges that came with it, including being summoned by China to answer for their coverage of Falun Gong.

But today, we cover something very different.

Deeper.

More personal.

Starting with Tai Ho’s major pivot from broadcasting to author.

Because nowadays, it’s common to make career pivots. It’s hard enough when it’s just jumping from one company to the next in the same industry, but Tai Ho has made that huge jump so…

❓ How did he do it?

❓ How does he think about the ‘Second Act’ of his career?

❓ How should people plan for their own Second, Third or even Fourth Act, especially when it comes to retirement?

And is there such a thing as living for too long and just ‘waiting to die’?

We also talk about some of his deepest regrets, his relationship with success and thoughts on relationships.

His advice to people: Go marry, have kids, then go back to your career.

We don’t have to be that woke. 😅

Do you agree?

Time to hear from Tai Ho again in the latest episode from STIMY!

Highlights:

• 3:14 Becoming a biographer by accident
• 5:29 What makes George Yeo (Singapore’s ex-foreign minister) so special?
• 6:56 Transparency & Lee Kuan Yew
• 7:53 Is living to age 102 a blessing or a curse?
• 9:35 “If I don’t have my second act, I don’t know what to do with my time”
• 12:36 Is all of Tai Ho’s success worth it?
• 15:40 Tai Ho’s biggest regret
• 19:31 His biggest advice for people
• 23:02 Why does Tai Ho collect bunnies?
• 25:57 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?
• 26:51 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind
• 27:05 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?

🙊 Want to support STIMY for $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/146

🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/U0_pVl_RsGM

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Growing up, Woon Tai Ho - Channel NewsAsia founder & Bestselling Author of books like the George Yeo trilogy, Soul of Ink, Riot Green- didn’t know he was poor.

Until he invited his friends over and was asked questions like:

❓ Where’s your phone?

❓ Where’s your sofa?

None of which he had.

Which made him realise that actually, he was pretty poor. 😅

But he was never ashamed of it.

When his sister invited him to stay at the house she was working at as a domestic helper, that changed his world.

“I couldn’t believe it, the way they stayed… these people had a dimension of luxury that I didn’t know about. So I told myself, I need to work very hard.”

And work very hard he did.

We know Channel News Asia as one of the preeminent TV news channels in Asia, but that wasn’t always the case. As Tai Ho shares, the earliest days of CNA was very much a ‘wait and see’ game.

It was hardly easy too.

“Television is a very, very hungry animal. A news channel is a very, very hungry animal. Every hour, every minute, every second needs content. Otherwise it's black.”

❓So how did Tai Ho build CNA from the ground up?

❓Position CNA amidst other giants like CNN & the BBC?

❓ Gain support from the likes of former Singapore foreign minister, George Yeo?

❓Handle challenges like when he was summoned to China for their coverage of Falun Gong?

You’ll have to listen to Part 1 of this STIMY episode to find out. 😉

Part 2 will come out next Sunday!

Highlights:

• 3:00 Would you consider yourself successful?
• 6:34 Family
• 8:27 Becoming a chef?
• 11:00 Singapore is a pretty good place!
• 13:29 “I never thought about being the best”
• 14:20 “When I was a kid, I didn’t know I was poor”
• 15:50 Mediacorp
• 16:53 Founding Channel News Asia
• 20:48 The reality of founding a news channel (that most people don’t know)
• 23:09 How do you define “quality content”?
• 24:28 Establishing the boundaries for quality
• 26:01 Looking at competitors to figure out CNA’s value proposition
• 28:33 No government support?!
• 31:14 Pushing the Singapore government’s perspective?
• 34:32 Getting into trouble with the Chinese government
• 37:56 Knowing which stories and perspective to put forward
• 40:51 Time to move on?

🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/146

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062