Damian Scragg, managing director EMEA at Ghostery, takes on M&M Global’s famed set of interview questions.

1 – Summarise yourself in three words.

Father-to-be

2 – What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?

I opted for Business Studies at University with a slant towards marketing – I’ve always been fascinated by the way people think and are influenced, and so my original plan was to pursue a marketing career. However, as the early years of digital passed me by I finally saw the light, and in the past nine years I have been blown away by the pace of change and constant stream of new ideas. Digital media and marketing stands alone in terms of the innovation and evolution that we’ve seen over the past two decades.

3 – Describe your ideal client.

My ideal client is one who is willing to work collaboratively, listening to our ideas – and vice versa – and forming a partnership rather than insisting on a typical client or vendor relationship. I think everyone gets more out of the relationship that way and success is achieved more quickly.

4 – Name your favourite ever campaign.

I’d have to say the Carling Black Label ad that ran at some point during the 80s –“Do you think he drinks Carling Black Label… nah, he doesn’t wash his underpants” – genius! Anything that can still make me laugh after more than 20 years has got to be a winner.

5 – Which award win are you most proud of, and why?

Ghostery was particularly proud of being ranked number 159 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™, which includes the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications and life science companies in North America. The ranking recognised Ghostery’s fantastic revenue growth of 532% between 2011 and 2014.

6 – Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?

I really like listening to Ciaran O’Kane, founder and CEO at ExchangeWire, as he says what he thinks and has no time for industry jargon and nonsense. He gets straight to the point and there’s always the chance he’ll say something controversial to shake things up a bit.

7 – Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?

LinkedIn is an indispensible resource for connecting with other businesses and professionals in the same space, and the platform provides an invaluable source of new business deals. It’s the twenty-first century’s answer to networking lunches – and much better for the waistline.  I also used to love Friends Reunited, but I’m showing my age now.

“I do work that I really enjoy, with smart people I respect, and for a company I believe in. As long as I can still say the same in 10 years’ time I’ll be satisfied”

8 – Where is your ideal meeting venue?

I’m very fortunate that I get to travel in my role and I’ve held meetings in some fairly impressive places, but I would say the Warburg Pincus boardroom in San Francisco, not because I love boardrooms but the view over San Francisco Bay is stunning.

9 – What is your favourite restaurant?

This is impossible to answer without sounding like a real media lush, so let’s go for it – Heston’s Fat Duck. It was more theatre than food but anyone that cooks scrambled eggs in liquid nitrogen at my table has to get my vote. Although, he does go too far sometimes having you listen to a conch shell whilst eating fish – that’s a bit silly.

10 – What is hot in international media and marketing, and what is not?

Transparency and data governance are very hot topics – every business we speak to is becoming increasingly aware that, while they employ numerous third-party technologies to improve customer experience, a badly managed tech stack can actually have a negative impact including site performance issues and data leakage. Online fraud and cyber-attacks are most definitely hot topics too but not for the right reasons.

11 – Which industry buzzword would you ban?

Definitely ‘Big Data’ – it’s over used and doesn’t really mean anything. The term ‘Big Data’ implies size is the most important component, which is far from the case. Yes the volume of data sources now available is certainly huge, but the term is not reflecting what’s happening with data and its extensive capabilities. It’s no longer about the volume of data but what you can do with it and so far not enough people have really figured out exactly how to make the most of it other than to say, “We’ve got lots of it.”

12 – Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

At Ghostery I do work that I really enjoy, with smart people I respect, and for a company I believe in. As long as I can still say the same in 10 years’ time I’ll be satisfied. That said, if I am lying on the deck of my own yacht cruising the Med, I won’t complain.

13 – Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life?

Tom Hardy. However, I did just check with my wife who said, “You are really punching above your weight saying that,” and she suggested Shane Ritchie!