Genuine Humans

Sophie Devonshire’s had extensive experience in business, which she’s distilled into two books – Superfast and LoveWork (which she co-authored with Ben Renshaw). Sophie wants to show people that business can be a force for good and have a positive impact on society. During her career – which has taken her around the world and working for businesses like Coca-Cola and agencies such as Leo Burnett –...

When Lisa Delaney left her home in Calgary with just $500 in her pocket to find her dream consulting job in London, she couldn’t have imagined where it would take her. Lisa’s worked for agencies and brands in London, Frankfurt and New York, and ran her own business – leading to her current position of Regional Head of Marketing & Digital Sales Europe for Cathay Pacific. Lisa benefitted from pa...

Mils Banji’s on a mission. Through his company, TapIn, Mils wants to prepare 100 million young people for the world of work.  This week, Mils joins Tamara and Wendy to chat about what inspired him to set this inspirational goal for himself. We hear how his early childhood in Zambia and his experiences once his family moved to the UK, helped shape his drive to learn, explore and inspire people.  We...

Joining Tamara and Wendy this week is the incredible Sherilyn Shackell , founder and CEO of The Marketing Academy, the non-profit organisation which inspired and develops the best talent at all levels in marketing, media and communications.  Her story is extraordinary. She left school at 16 to join the family business, following in the footsteps of her entrepreneurial mother who inspired her. But ...

Jorie Sax says she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. A psychology degree and an early career in law started her on a diverse path that has led her into senior roles at the Chicago White Sox, Miller Coors and now United Airlines.  On the podcast, Jorie talks about the leaders who had the imagination to see her potential, and who encouraged her creative thinking. Jorie Sax h...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Tom Wallis, CMO at Gusto.  Tom taught himself how to code as a child and graduated with a degree in engineering, which could explain his obsession with data and measurement in marketing. He was part of the team behind the success of the launch of the NOW TV box (taking it from zero to a million customers), before joining Gusto as CM...

In this week’s Genuine Humans podcast, Tamara and Wendy are joined by the amazing Tina Fegent, who is a pioneer in marketing procurement, as one of the first people to drive the development of the industry in the UK. Tina has more than 25 years’ experience as a global marketing procurement consultant and has her own eponymous consultancy; she chairs the CIS marketing group; and she has the brillia...

This week, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Leo Morejon, who is probably best known for his team’s creation of the ‘dunk in the dark’ tweet from Oreo, a campaign that swept Cannes in 2013. Leo’s career has spanned agency, brand and technical sides of marketing. He talks about how he’s got comfortable with being uncomfortable, his early dream of being an inventor, and why he’s excited about the futur...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy talk to the charismatic James Davies, head of marketing at First Direct, about his path to success. From wanting to be a bin man at three years old to developing a passion for writing letters through his youth, James’ career saw him rise through HSBC to take on one of the most coveted roles in financial marketing, at First Direct. His key qualiti...

It’s been 20 years since Tamara Littleton founded The Social Element, so what better time to sit down and chat about what led Tamara here?  Series five of The Genuine Human’s podcast kicks off with Wendy Christie and Emma Harris talking to Tamara about everything from her early Masterchef-worthy escapades in the kitchen to the vision that led her to create this now 250 people strong agency. Tamara...

Michelle Goodall didn’t take a conventional route into marketing, but over the years, she has worked in B2B marketing, PR agencies, as an independent contractor and is now the CMO of Guild , an app purpose-built for professional groups. In this episode of Genuine Humans, we hear how Michelle’s childhood experiences led her to become an empathetic and kind leader who places great value on her team....

Marketing needs to do a better job of, well, marketing itself. It needs to demonstrate what it is and how it contributes to achieving business goals. This is just one of the subjects that Mark Evans (MD of Marketing and Digital at Direct Line) discusses with Tamara and Wendy in this episode of Genuine Humans. Mark also talks us through his passion for rugby and how his experience in the sport has...

Jane Michell, founder of Jane Plan, joins Tamara and Wendy in this week’s episode of Genuine Humans. Jane talks to us about her love of cooking, her experience of getting Jane Plan off the ground (despite having no previous business experience), the people who’ve inspired her, and her desire to create something different – a diet plan that focuses on health, not on appearance.  She is candid about...

Jane Michell, founder of Jane Plan, joins Tamara and Wendy in this week’s episode of Genuine Humans. Jane talks to us about her love of cooking, her experience of getting Jane Plan off the ground (despite having no previous business experience), the people who’ve inspired her, and her desire to create something different – a…

Elliot Moss is a partner and the chief brand officer at law firm Mishcon de Reya. He’s also been a presenter on Jazz FM for the past ten years. Elliot talks to us about his extensive and varied experience – from running his own DJ business as a teenager (he messed up an A-Level by DJing the night before the exam) to his roles at Leo Burnett and Leagas Delaney, and how he manages to fit in a presen...

Arlene Wszalek has had a hugely successful and varied career. She helped launch AOL in the UK, managed Curt Smith (co-founder of Tears for Fears) and is now SVP of client solutions and strategic consulting for Allied Global Marketing. Her career has thrived on her love of music, tech and the kind of thoughtful, empathetic networking that forms strong and lasting relationships.  While there are man...

Eve Sleep’s CEO, Cheryl Calverley, is the final guest in series 3 of Genuine Humans . Cheryl talks to Tamara and Wendy about her passion for psychology leading her to pursue a career in marketing. Cheryl counts Matt Burgess (now CEO of Kharisma), Margaret Jobling (now CMO of NatWest) and Mike Lloyd (now CEO of McCarthy Stone and Chairman of Eve Sleep) among her friends and mentors. Cheryl’s compet...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Virgin RED’s marketing director, Linn Frost.  At nine years old, Linn knew she wanted to work in advertising. Growing up, Linn realised that she didn’t come from the typical background of many in the industry, but determined to achieve her dream, she went to university part-time and secured a part-time PA job at Ogilvy and eventuall...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Gemma Greaves, founder of networking group, Cabal and co-founder of Nurture & Partners.  Ambitious and driven from childhood, Gemma knew that she wanted to set up her own business one day.  First at Cabal and now with Nurture, Gemma’s work revolves around celebrating and amplifying the power of genuine human connections People w...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Nam Nguyen, founder of creative agency, Su pervillain . Nam started off by volunteering to help his community as a teen and went on to work for some of the biggest brands in a variety of roles. These experiences helped shape his leadership style, which is led by empathy and inclusion. Nam’s ultimate goal is to create the change he w...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by the Managing Director of Love Home Swap , Celia Pronto. Celia’s worked in marketing for global consumer, travel and automotive brands, but when it comes down to it, the most important thing for her is being able to say that she’s made a positive impact on the people and brands that she’s worked with. Celia reminds us of the importan...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by renowned marketer and author, Mark Earls . Mark has had a long career working for various agencies and now as HERDmeister at HERD. His main focus is on researching human behaviour and cognition (and he’s published – and contributed to – several books covering the subject, most recently Creative Superpowers).  Mark talks us through h...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Craig Inglis, non-executive global chair at the Marketing Society. Craig started his career at travel agent, Thomson, as a graduate recruit and went on to work for Virgin Trains and John Lewis. For Craig, connecting with the purpose of the brand has been extremely important, both in finding the right business to work for and in cont...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Ellie Norman, director of marketing and communications for Formula 1. Ellie’s career has been powered by serendipity and curiosity.  Growing up on a farm gave Ellie a childhood of freedom and exploration that helped to create her inquisitive nature. As she got older and met more people, Ellie jumped at the chance to explore new expe...

In this episode of Genuine Humans, Tamara and Wendy are joined by Toni Wood, Chief Marketing Officer of furniture comparison site ufurnish.com. Toni started her career at Sainsbury’s after the business sponsored her degree in retail marketing. After an early career in category management, Toni transitioned to brand management while working for Gillette. One of the major themes in this episode is t...