Q&A: O&M’s David Mayo is in the hot seat

What is your current state of mind?
Open, creative, optimistic, predatory and alert, so....no change from usual.

What is your greatest fear?
Claustrophobia.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impetuosity.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Caution.

Who is your hero? Why?
David Ogilvy mainly because he is one of the few people who have made a true success of advertising; he found purpose and the means followed.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Authority.

On what occasion do you lie?
I never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Name one thing about yourself that few people know.
I have been in prison...

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Iterative.

What talent would you most like to have?
To play the piano.

What's your most evocative childhood memory?
'Splashdown' 1969 watching Neil Armstrong return from the moon on our neighbour's black and white TV.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Ogilvy's RedCard.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Commonsense and bravery.

Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?
Gandhi - find purpose and means will follow.

What makes you happy?
Being with my wonderful family.

When did you last cry and why?
Probably on a plane watching a movie about dysfunctional families or divorce. Those topics always upset me.

What is your greatest regret?
Not buying a house in Islington London in 1993 for the £220,000 asking price... it's now worth £2,300,000.

If your office was burning down, what object would you save and why?
Grace, my PA, because I couldn't get to the fire exit, register my safety, and get to the next meeting on time without her.

What would you do if you were invisible for the day?
Go to work and sit at my desk.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?
My mother's son. Now aged 45.

What's your best joke?
Knock knock. Who's there?
Interrupting cow. Interrupting co....?
Mooooooooooooo.

This article was originally published in the 29 July 2010 issue of Media.