Jon
Bird
From an early age, Jon has been passionate about writing and creativity. As luck would have it, he fell into a career as an advertising copywriter and quickly became one of Australia’s youngest Creative Directors at the age of 26.
"The key to remaining relevant is to stay curious and never stop evolving. The world doesn't stop and neither should you. "
Jon
Bird
Why do you want to be a mentor?
Success in business and life today is a team sport. Mentors are your coaches and your sounding boards, your strategists and your greatest supporters, cheering you on from the sidelines. I have had mentors of one kind or another since the day I started in business and I have always found their counsel to be invaluable. I hope that I can now repay the favour, listen well, and pass on some of what I have learned – not just the successes, but also the mistakes – because there is value in understanding both.
From an early age, Jon has been passionate about writing and creativity. As luck would have it, he fell into a career as an advertising copywriter and quickly became one of Australia’s youngest Creative Directors at the age of 26.
As time went on, Jon became fascinated by business as much as creativity, and so completed an MBA, majoring in Marketing. At the same time, Jon co-founded IdeaWorks – an “Intelligent Retail Ideas” agency – which which he and his partners ultimately sold to Young & Rubicam. Jon built on his knowledge of retail marketing to become a leading commerce expert, and was head-hunted to M&C Saatchi, before being invited to New York to lead retail and shopper marketing for Young & Rubicam globally. Seeing that the future was digitising,
Jon joined VML – a digitally-based agency – and rose to Chief Retail & Commerce Officer, worldwide. Jon returned to Australia to take up the role of CEO of VMLY&R across Australia and New Zealand.
Today, Jon is Executive Director, VML Global, and works on commerce projects with team-members in the US and all over the planet. He also serves on the board of a tech start-up.
Jon still loves to write (he is a contributor to Forbes), likes to stay fit and has run many marathons from Sydney to Boston, and is currently obsessed about playing guitar.
Countries Jon has worked in
Australia, USA / Canada
Industries Jon has worked in
eCommerce & Electronics, Entertainment, Media & Advertising, Technology
Jon's key roles and titles
Board Director, CEO & Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Retail and Commerce Officer, Executive Creative Director
Management Skills & Competencies
Communication & Interpersonal Skills
Creativity & Innovation
Customer Focus and Management
Leadership
Management & Strategy
Companies Jon has worked with
- VML
- VMLY&R
- Young & Rubicam
- WPP
- IdeaWorks
- M&C Saatchi
- Marketforce
Jon's current city
Sydney, Australia
Jon's hobbies
I write for Forbes - this is a link to my articles: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbird1/
Jon's book recommendation
"Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman
We would love to hear from you - please reach out to find out more about Jon and schedule a FREE 30min obligation free consultation
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