Howard Malloy

Senior vice president, Europe, Ensono

What has been your business highlight of 2022?

We have had a lot of large business success in 2022, but the highlight was getting everyone back together for an event at Mercedes-Benz World. The whole EU sales team came together in one place, which was the first time in years that we'd all met face to face. You can't beat in-person connections for learning and business goals.

If you were ruler of your own country, what law would you introduce first?

My first law would be introducing a four-day working week. From my experience working in India, the UK and the US, I believe this is something we have the ability to implement that will have a positive impact on everyone's day-to-day but could be done in a way that it wouldn't negatively impact business.

Which channel or tech leader (outside of your own company) has impressed you most in 2022?

As a new tech leader in Europe, I wanted to get plugged into the UK and Europe tech community as fast as possible. The best tool I found was the Three Digital Amigos podcast, which discusses cutting-edge technology in a non-technical way with insights from CIOs and other tech leaders in the UK. I was able to educate myself while commuting to work as the show is in 15-minute segments, so it's been a powerful avenue to immerse myself in a new market.

If you had a warning label, what would it say?

"I promise I'm not angry. I'm just loud." Especially if I'm talking about something I'm excited by.

What was your first job?

My first job was at a Wendy's drive-thru, and I was there for around nine months. When I served a burger with just the bun, salad, and ketchup, I knew I had to move on and that it wasn't the career for me!

What was the last book you read, and was it any good?

The last book I read was Everything I Know About Business I Learned From The Grateful Dead. It was brilliant! I had heard lots of positive reviews about it, and I'm glad I picked up a copy. It gives incredible insight into business management and how the Grateful Dead marketed themselves through taped concerts, which was like an early form of social media driving engagement. Also, their general ethos of living your values, being kind and encouraging employees to lead, really resonates with business models today. Their music is good, but the way they ran the business is the really cool stuff.

What's the most important lesson you've learned from another business leader or mentor?

Invest time in others, and you'll find you get the time back. People want to do things and feel engaged in what they're doing. So spend time with your peers and encourage a shared vision. That is the biggest lesson I've learned, building an environment of trust will give you faster solutions and an empowered team. Simply investing your time into them, you'll find you have more hours to work on yourself because you have a team you trust to do the job right.

Who would play you in a movie of your life?

Unfortunately, it's not going to be Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt! I think John Goodman would represent me well. We both grew up in the same town, and he went to my high school, so we have a similar outlook on life. He is also a genuinely nice person who invests time in the community and wants to help support others.