Name: Matt Wisk
Age: 44
Job title: Chief marketing officer, Herbalife International
What is your greatest work achievement? Developing a team that helped to create a world-leading brand - while spending less money than our competition.
Your dream brand to work on and why?
A brand that is not well known globally, but has great potential. That's why I selected Herbalife.
What would you do if you weren't in marketing?
I would probably work for a charity. Marketing is a profession based on optimism - I think we share that in common with the non-profit world.
What was your big break?
My 'big break' has been the combined effect of hundreds of small breaks - e.g. the chance to develop my leadership style, or choosing the vendor partner that complements our brand-building needs.
Who was your mentor and how did this person influence you?
A boss I had at Nokia created an expectation that if we were going to build our brand and win the market share battle, it would not happen by spending more than our competition, but by learning faster.
Is there a secret to your success?
Constantly searching for the 'mental tattoo' on topics. A 'mental tattoo' is the powerful combination of thought and feelings. The best ones are very simple - but you must go through the complexity to get to the simplicity.
How do you handle difficult clients?
Listen and then respond in a way that shows we listen and respect their views.
What advice would you give to the next person to do your current job?
Spend more time in the first 90 days really understanding how distribution impacts marketing.
What are you currently reading that will help you in your job?
The LA Shape Diet, by Dr David Heber.
Who is the business person you most admire and why?
Carlos Ghosn from Nissan. He took a good company and made it great. He seems to have demonstrated strong leadership in many different cultures.