I became the youngest new business director in London when I went to Saatchi’s in the 1980’s. I really had no idea how to be a new business director, but I learned as I went.

One thing we would do was if we were notified by a prospective client that we had been unsuccessful in the pitch, would be to telephone them back and say that we had another idea that we should have presented, and would they like to see it. They often said ‘yes’ to this. Of course we never had another idea, but we worked through the night to get one. This was duly presented the next day, and as a result we won about 1/3 of these second chances.

Rupert Howell, IPA 44 Club, November 2008