Work tends to absorb him to infinite levels, says the president of the multinational advertising company WPP in Spain, who seeks transcendence in work achievements given that he does not have children. But Juan Pedro Moreno wants to reconcile and to do so “I build obligations that expel the work of my life.” Like the piano, with whose classes, “which are not canceled under any circumstances”, he has found moments for himself, away from his cell phone and WhatsApp. In his free time, the executive has set up a production company with some friends. And also a flower shop.
Ask. How would you sell Juan Pedro Moreno if he were a product?
Answer. I think Juan Pedro is a very lucky guy, who has had a professional career that has combined two things that were not worked on much in our country: absolute commitment and speaking English. After 31 years in the consulting world, I consider myself a good consultant: a man who knows very little about everything and a lot about nothing, capable of articulating ideas and making people believe in them. I am a bit of the Alfonso Escámez of consulting. I joined as a bellhop and ended up as president.
Q. And on a personal level, what would you say?
R. I’m a talkative, friendly/empathetic guy. A person who believes a lot in personal relationships, who has friends everywhere and likes to meet new people. I am passionate about social relationships.
Q. What are hobbies?
R. I am not one of those who separate personal life and professional life. I only have a phone number and an email. I have never liked to separate both areas and that is why I have many friends from work. With the hobbies The same thing happens to me, everyone knows what they are because I carry them wherever I go. There are three: opera, well, music in general, which I owe to my parents, who played music on weekend mornings to wake us up and from there my hobby was born. Another of my hobbies is cooking. There are two things that relax me that you die for, which are cooking and making PowerPoint. Despite being the president of a company, I make my own PowerPoints. My third hobby consists of the party, I love organizing parties, social gatherings… In fact, one of the first initiatives I launched at WPP is called Thursdays in the Sun, a party with music and food once a month in which 1,500 liters of beer.
Q. What is the last PowerPoint you made?
R. I just made the last Power Point for the Community of Madrid, for the Digital Transformation Advisory Council, to which I belong, because public resources are scarce and I have no one to help me.
Q. What and when do you cook?
R. And there are days when I get home at 10:00 p.m., I’ve had a really hard day, and even though I’m alone I start making some roasted eggplant or a scorpionfish pudding. I make it and maybe I don’t even eat it, I keep it in the fridge and go to bed, but it relaxes me. Other times, like this weekend, I made sirloin Wellington and invited some friends to eat.
Q. Has more hobbies?
R. I have another hobby or rather a frustration, which is playing the piano. I’ve always wanted to touch it. I play it badly, but I like it and I’m in no hurry to learn. I always promise myself that I will teach class on the weekend and I don’t. I give an hour or two a week. The piano teaches you humility because it doesn’t matter how smart you are, the only way to learn is with dedication and effort.
Q. And what do you do on the weekends?
R. On weekends I lie to myself a lot. I lie to myself a lot because I promise myself that I am going to do things that I end up not doing with all the pleasure in the world. I have a house in Segovia. Then I dream of going there to collect myself, to read, to write… I take the car, but when I arrive in Torrelodones I have already called four friends to invite them to go, so I am not alone at home. Other times I think I’m going to stay putting up the bookcase and, when I start, three friends knock on the door to have an aperitif… I lie to myself a lot. We don’t even talk about the gym.
Q. Do you find it difficult to disconnect?
R. It is not difficult for me to disconnect operationally, that is, deciding not to answer emails, get on the phone or go to meetings… But the head is something else. I am very creative and I go to bed and dream what I am going to say the next day in a speech where I have to go. I don’t disconnect from that.
Q. Is it capricious?
R. Not whimsical. I mean, I’m not a brand or a spender. I like watches. Years ago, every time we signed an important contract, I bought one. He told me it was a way of investing.
Q. How is the transformation of WPP that was proposed when you arrived a year and a half ago going? Has it changed the company or has it changed you?
R. When I arrived here I had the feeling that I had gone from the Roman legion to the Gallic village in a matter of minutes. And when you are a brave Roman, who has spent his entire life in an orderly and methodical legion with your helmet, and you see yourself there with a cloth and the pot in which you don’t really know what you are cooking, you are tempted to buy helmets, shields and whatever the Roman skirts are called and put them on everyone. And the first moments you say here I am going to change everything. But then you think, what if the one coming from outside changes? And that’s what I’m into. The combination is positive, the business is going well, we are growing 10% and our profitability has grown a lot.
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