Ken Robertson is CEO of the Tenth Male and former Paddy Electricity advertising director. In March 2024, The Tenth Gentleman declared a even more worldwide expansion with the opening of its Uk workplace in London. Its roster of intercontinental shoppers involves sector giants such as Guinness, Redbull, Jameson, Fanatics, AIG, and Superbet.
What was your very first task?
Working in a document shop at Dublin Airport.
What pushed you to pursue a job in this industry?
My second task was as a advertising intern in Xtra-vision (for audience under a specified age – this was essentially the Netflix of the 1990s). In this part I located myself at the intersection of advertising and marketing and leisure which manufactured it abundantly crystal clear to me that the initial and most significant purpose of any superior advertising and marketing marketing campaign is to entertain your audience. Pleasurable very first, promote next.
What would you regard as your finest achievement to day?
Is dependent on your definition of ‘Great’. In the course of my 18-a long time with Paddy Electrical power I wrote the most complained-about marketing marketing campaign in British advertising and marketing background (you can glimpse that a single up). I established in motion a chain of occasions that led to Denis Rodman hosting a basketball match in North Korea for Kim Jong Un’s 30th birthday. I also narrowly prevented paying a night in an Italian jail for using bets on the next Pope in St Peter’s Square the similar yr as recruiting Professor Stephen Hawking for a Paddy Electrical power Environment Cup advertising and marketing campaign. All of that things was awesome but to be truthful, setting up The Tenth Guy and six many years afterwards observing the outstanding team and business enterprise we have produced collectively is the clear winner.
Vocation clever, would you do anything otherwise?
Not 1 thing.
In 1 sentence, how would you outline achievement?
I’ll give you that in a single phrase – Pleasure
What is the very best piece of assistance you have ever been supplied?
In the mess lies the magic
How do you inspire your self and your staff members?
Have a clear eyesight supported by a reasonable technique so anyone is adequately aligned. Acquiring a popular aim indicates we’re all in the trenches with each other. It’s like a huge family right here – albeit at times a pretty dysfunctional one.
How do you take care of adversity?
Accepting that you just cannot acquire every time and currently being adequately outfitted to take care of the instances when you shed. I’ve learned that by treating successful and losing the similar, daily life turns into a great deal much easier.
How do you take it easy?
Cycling with my kids, Netflix with my wife, and a smaller bit of summer months sea swimming.
What is your favourite (non-company) book?
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
What are your aspirations for the upcoming of the small business?
We have relished powerful double digit growth each individual year due to the fact launching The Tenth Guy in 2018 but it feels like we’re shut to hitting a ceiling in terms of what Dublin can give so worldwide enlargement is our key target for the subsequent 24 months, starting off with London in which we have not too long ago opened an business office in Farringdon and New York will most likely observe in Q1 2025. Our prolonged time period intention is to be Top 10 world artistic company by 2030.
Go through Additional 60 SECONDS
John O’Keeffe, CEO of ePower
Seán Treacy, founder and owner, Hunter Treacy Tailors
Ken Keohane, Operational Excellence Lead at Thermo Fisher Scientific