Hamish Taylor
Innovation enthusiast and inspirational speaker
About Hamish
With a profile that The Times described as “takes some beating” Hamish Taylor has an award winning record of driving innovation and change in a number of different environments.From Brand Management at Procter & Gamble through Head of Brands at British Airways to CEO of Eurostar and CEO of Sainsburys Bank - all before he was 40! In all cases, he left behind a record of significant business growth triggered by a willingness to challenge the "normal" way of doing things.
Dubbed the "master thief" by the Inspired Leaders Network for his track record of stealing ideas from one environment to use in another.
Hamish’s enthusiasm is totally infectious, he will leave you energised and motivated to ensure that your business strategy is totally aligned to what you want to achieve. He shows you how to innovate by stealing the best ideas from other industries, areas that you excel in and where you need to improve. Hamish’s approach is completely unique – he turns things on their head and takes you on an incredible journey of creativity and innovation. Hamish does not disappoint!
Sample Topics
‘You as a Brand’;
‘Stealing Ideas from Outside of your Environment’;
'Trains, Planes and......Toilet Cleaners or Opening your mind';
'Getting the Customer Promise Right'
Testimonials
"This was the longest presentation of my two week programme, but it was also one of the most talked about. Every participant remembered the subject matter and how they would like to apply it. They also discussed Hamish's enthusiasm, passion and energy." - UBS Wealth ManagementRead More
With a profile that The Times described as "takes some beating" Hamish Taylor has managed to follow academic and sporting success with a very fast track career through a number of high profile business roles. In recent years, the Inspired Leaders Network have also added the title of "master thief" based on his record of innovation by transferring ideas between sectors.Hamish began his career with Procter & Gamble Ltd. From 1984 to 1990 he held a variety of Brand Management positions culminating in responsibility for the household cleaner portfolio (Flash brands). Following this, Hamish was a Management Consultant with PriceWaterhouse from 1990 to 1993 specialising in marketing effectiveness studies. He was appointed Head of Brand Management at British Airways at the end of 1993 taking responsibility for the airline's passenger brands (First, Club, Concorde, Shuttle, etc) and also playing a role in the growing group of BA franchise partners and Alliances. Innovations there included major product relaunches of Club Europe, Club World and First Class (including the introduction of flat beds). In 1997 he moved to Eurostar as Managing Director of Eurostar (UK) Ltd at the age of 36. The business was three years old and his remit was to reduce the major losses the operation was suffering. After two successful years in this role he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Eurostar Group. In 1999 Hamish was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury's Bank, a joint venture between J Sainsbury's plc (55%) and the Bank of Scotland (45%). Once again, the objective was rapid growth in profit from the breakeven position he inherited. The ability to innovate and move away from traditional Banking approaches to behave more like a retailer proved the key to the significant growth that resulted.
In 2004 Hamish established his own company which focuses on enabling organisations to achieve breakthroughs by looking outside their current environment. Processes, product and people development are all part of this mix. He has also consulted or spoken for a wide variety of organisations including Microsoft, RBS, BAA, Camelot, Inland Revenue, Kimberly Clark, Post Office, Ernst and Young, Diageo and the Economist.
