CEO

I don’t have an age complex. Yes, I am rapidly racing towards the end of my twenties, but I’m pretty happy with where my life is at the moment. A stellar list of achievements that includes a clean (ish) driving license, no criminal record, avoidance of jury service and the occasional shop at Waitrose. However, sometimes, something comes along that makes me feel a little inferior about my achievements to date. A recent case in point. Last month I was invited along to the 2012 Mobile Retail Summit, and after a hearty breakfast I took my seat for a debate about mobile advertising. The panel was introduced; an impressive line up of CEOs and COOs – so far, so standard. However, on further inspection, one thing was very apparent. These young men sitting in front of the 300-strong audience – fresh faced, clean shaven and barely-out-of-Uni – were not interns saving the seats for the company heavyweights. These guys were actually the real deal.

Suited child fronts Velvet Toilet Tissue Ad

The face of success is getting some serious botox at the moment. Flash back 50 years and the number of board directors under 40, or even 50, were few and far between. Now, no-one bats an eyelid at a twenty-something chief exec, particularly within technology. And, industry giants of old are now relying on people half their age to keep their businesses competitive. This may all seem like stating the obvious – the younger generation has grown up with the internet so is bound to have a better grasp of the new technology  – but with the bad press the youth in this country get, it’s worth noting. Away from the hoodies helping themselves to a new pair of Nikes out of a trashed Footlocker, there are a lot of bright minds out there driving this country forward to bigger and better things.