Robert Ray, marketing director, Newspaper Society
Robert Ray, marketing director, Newspaper Society
A view from Sarah Johnson

Me and my mentor

Robert Ray, marketing director, Newspaper Society

I'm not easily manageable, but those who have had an impact are Adrian Birchall , ex-chairman/chief executive of MediaVest, who helped on the detail; Jim Marshall, ex-chief executive of Starcom MediaVest, who challenged everything; and my current boss, Newspaper Society director David Newell, who gives an often academic perspective. All of which makes me more rounded.

My greatest mentors have to be clients and audience. If customers don't like what you do, feedback is fairly quick and far from painless.