David Wethey

Author of:
DECIDE - Better Ways of Making Better Decisions (2013)
MOTE - The Super Meeting (2015)
THE VERY IDEA! - Unleashing the Power of Idea Economics (Oct 2018)

Speaks and writes about the importance of executives having the creative, decision making and meeting management skills needed to make themselves and their organisations more successful.

“Ideas are the world’s most valuable resource. Everyone needs to become a
creative contributor”

The Very Idea! will be published in October 2018 by Urbane Publications.

In the World Economic Forum report ‘The Future of Jobs’ published in 2016, it was predicted that in by 2020, the three most important individual skills for workers will be as follows:

1. Complex problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Creativity

To quote from the Report, “Change won’t wait for us: business leaders, educators and governments all need to be proactive in up-skilling and retraining people so everyone can benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. The imagination to come up with original ideas, and the related ability to work collaboratively in teams to make these ideas happen are integral to all three of the top skills.

Sadly, many businesses suffer from a culture where transactional competence (efficiently doing the same job day after day) is valued way above inquisitiveness and the desire to think and work smart. Business often seems to be obsessed by money and process. Yet all change, growth and progress come from people and their ideas. I urge companies to liberate their people to play a more creative role.

Career:
David’s business life has been in advertising and marketing consultancy.

He began his career in marketing research with AC Nielsen Company. He then worked for 20 years in advertising, managing agencies in UK, Continental Europe and Asia, principally for McCann-Erickson. He was CEO of two London agencies before establishing his own – Wethey Scott Pocock – in 1980.

David left the agency world to start a consulting firm Agency Assessments International (AAI) in 1988. AAI advises large (mainly global) advertisers on appointing communications agencies, building productive partnerships with them, and producing work that is both creative and effective. David has lectured and trained in more than 40 countries, and AAI has been engaged by clients including: BA, Cadbury, Camelot, Coca-Cola, Confused.com, Diageo, Electrolux, Ericsson, FCA, Ferrero Rocher, Ford, Game, GSK, HP, Heinz, Honda, Jaguar, John Lewis, Kelloggs, Lloyds Banking Group, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt Benckiser, SABMiller, Shell, Sony Erickson, Toyota, TUI, Visa Europe, Volvo, VW

Background:
He was educated at St Edward’s School Oxford and Jesus College Oxford, where he took an MA in Philosophy Politics and Economics. He is married with four adult children, and lives in Gloucestershire and Alderney, Channel Islands.

Links:
Decide: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AZJZ5O2
Mote: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909273201
Better Meetings. Better Decisions (trailer for the consulting platform and training film based on ‘Mote’, featuring clips of David Wethey speaking)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujjb2IhviXw
Twitter: @davidwethey @MoteMeet
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/davidwethey
Websites: www.motemeeting.com - www.makingbetterdecisionsbetter.co.uk