Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and Behavioural Science Guru

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Rory Sutherland’s work in the advertising, sales and marketing world. I’m sure that many of you reading this will already know his work or at least have heard his name, but I also hope that I can introduce a new cohort of learners to his concepts, theories, and philosophies. 

As well as being the vice chairman for Ogilvy (probably the most well-known advertising agency on the planet), Rory is a behavioural scientist. This means that he explores the cognitive processes and interactions of humans through investigation, observation, and experimentation. He writes a fortnightly column in The Spectator and has written several books, including Alchemy: The Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense and Transport For Humans: Are we nearly there yet? – in my view, these are essential reading for anyone in the sales, marketing, or advertising industry – as well as anyone who’s interested to know more about ‘why humans do what they do’.

I first saw Rory speak at a conference about 15 years ago, and have been a self-confessed fanboy since then. When I reached out to him to ask about the possibility of him mentoring me, I was delighted and slightly shocked to receive a reply within the hour. This is a titan of industry who still finds the time to help a new generation of learners in their professions and quest knowledge. 

In this podcast episode of Pitch Masters, Rory delivers a plethora of insightful and inspiring anecdotes, including some hilarious stories about the greatest pitches of all time, and (my favourite) the most disastrous.