The boy done good

I can still recall my first meeting with a brash college drop-out named Gordon; rough around the edges, but there was something about the pugnacious little oik that marked him out as an ideal protégé.

I was lunching with a channel buddy recently when he revealed one of his staff in Europe has been with the firm since the tender age of 15. He even needed a note from his Mum when he first started.

Many years on and the seeds of talent have grown into a valued and high-ranking member of staff - and I can say the same about Gordon. Though not without lying through my teeth.