This natural communicator, with a flair for ideas and spreading them, started out as a tax accountant. Yearning for a creative outlet, however, Megarry switched to marketing – a discipline he loves because of the "balance between business and creativity".
One of his core strengths lies in his ability to remain enthusiastic, determined and inspirational, even when facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge – such as when he was responsible for launching Gillette’s Fusion ProGlide in the UK in the middle of a beard-growing trend, coupled with economic uncertainty, making it one of the toughest times in the shaving category’s history.
Despite this, Megarry was able to drive the ProGlide to become the UK’s biggest razor franchise, achieving the second-highest value share of any Gillette market globally, after the US.
In the future, he believes, the clever marketers will be those who can second-guess what consumers want before they even know they want it, especially when it comes to millennials and even younger consumers.
"My generation is more demanding and the way they shop and interact is very different," he says. "They see something online, buy it later and expect it to be delivered tomorrow to their door. The next trend to watch is subscription: if they know it works, they will subscribe to it. But if it doesn’t live up to expectations, there will be instant feedback on social media."
Work should be an extension of your life. I don’t ever want to be in a job where I wish my week away. There’s no point, you only get one life
Megarry is curious about the world and constantly feeds his imagination. For example, he has resolved at least once a month to have a "new experience". Generally it’s a weekend break to somewhere he’s never been before, like a recent trip to Sarajevo, or trying a new skill, such as sushi-making in Billingsgate.
He is also a firm believer in lifelong learning and en-joying what you’re doing: "Work should be an extension of your life. I don’t ever want to be in a job where I wish my week away. There’s no point, you only get one life."
So it’s no surprise that he’s much more comfortable than some other marketers on this list with the disintegrating boundaries between perso-nal and professional lives. "Managing my personal brand, to me, is just being who I am and looking to showcase that, as I know that’s what makes me happy and feel fulfilled."
"Patrick’s standout strength has been his ability to know his business inside-out and develop consumer insights that create unique business plans and campaigns. This has always been under-pinned with a passion for learning, a desire for self-improvement, and always operating as a team player.
Patrick worked for me when he was running a business (Gillette) that was undergoing a huge habit- and practice-change with the resurgence of male
facial hair. This needed courage, leadership and tenacity. Patrick delivered all of these to set up two courses for future growth: for the business and his
very promising career."
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