Ellis Watson

Ellis Watson is Chief Executive of Syco Entertainment, the joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony. He is responsible for Syco's global development, formats and commercial strategy.

The appointment followed spells on the board of Menzies and FirstGroup - the world's biggest privately owned public transport operator with brands from First Great Western to America's legendary Greyhound Bus network. He previously held responsibility for five national and 240 regional titles as MD of Mirror Group Newspapers.

Ellis' first big job was as a very young Marketing Director at the Sun and News of the World, reporting directly to Rupert Murdoch. He helped them reverse the decline in sales and launched numerous cutting edge initiatives, including Books for Schools. He also conceived CurrantBun, before moving into TV as head of Celador International - where he licensed Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to 100 countries and oversaw no less than 130 separate consumer products.

In presentations Ellis argues that a significant external shock like recession can be a springboard for very positive internal change. He shows how to inspire passion even when under pressure, and how to progress from mission statements to true company culture - where quality, integrity and diversity are all properly harnessed.

Both inspiring and enormously entertaining, Ellis reveals what it was like to work for the highly idiosyncratic Murdoch. And he might also describe how the Colombian Minister of Information insisted on hosting 'Millionaire' himself - giving glamorous female contestants a helping hand!

JLA Client Comments

'Very relevant, provocative and entertaining.' Morgan Stanley

"The key messages about working together and teamwork really came through." VT Group

"Ellis' content and delivery was excellRBSent and matched the brief brilliantly." RBS

"Ellis was just what guests needed after a hard day of meetings. He was a perfect fit for the evening." Investec