In the latest episode of McGill Management Insights, BCom student Mia Colaner sat down with McGill alum Brian Fetherstonhaugh (BCom '79), a visionary leader whose career has spanned global marketing, executive coaching, and authorship.
Brian’s professional journey—from CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide to founder of the Long View Talent Group—reflects the kind of thoughtful risk-taking and long-term strategy he now champions in his work with emerging leaders and top executives.
Brian reflects fondly on his student days at McGill, crediting the experience with shaping his global perspective and introducing him to marketing—a passion he discovered after a brief stint in accounting. He recalled his leadership roles in the Marketing Club and McGill Student Entrepreneurial Agencies (MSEA), where he helped scale a student-run business to over 100 employees. These early entrepreneurial opportunities laid the foundation for his understanding of teamwork, leadership, and initiative.
Throughout the interview, Brian emphasizes the importance of embracing unconventional opportunities. He talks through three major career pivots: taking a seemingly less glamorous job in data-driven marketing at Ogilvy, relocating to New York despite hesitations, and later making the jump from digital transformation to talent transformation. Each move initially felt uncertain but ultimately proved to be game changers for his career.
“What looked at first almost like a move sideways, or more likely down, turned out to be a great boost for my career,” he explains. “I think the lesson from that is that getting those different kinds of experiences often gives you a real leg up in long term career thinking, even though at the immediate moment it might not seem like the obvious choice or the sexy choice.”
This perspective underpins his book The Long View: Career Strategies to Start Strong, Reach High and Go Far, where he urges young professionals to view their careers as a marathon, not a sprint.
“One of the most important truths about careers,” he says, “Is they're way, way longer than we think they are. The reality is you have more years of career after age 40 than before.”
He encourages young professionals to pace themselves and to let go of the idea of the “perfect job.”
“It’s a myth,” he says.
Brian openly discusses his early setbacks, including being rejected by both Procter & Gamble and Ogilvy, companies he dreamed of working for that he later joined and built lasting success in.
His response to those initial rejections was persistence, following up, providing new information, and reframing the “no” as “not now.” Rejection is inevitable, but how you respond can define your career, he explains.
While Brian has been at the forefront of digital transformation, he argues that success hinges more on people than technology. With the rise of generative AI, he advises young professionals to invest in uniquely human skills: creativity, moral judgment, and empathy. These, he feels, are the “safe havens” of future career growth, and areas where machines can’t compete.
“If I were restarting my career today,” he says. “I would just max out any exposure, any opportunity work with the kind of people who are creative, who have great judgment, who are highly empathetic, can connect and build relationships.
His biggest concern for the modern workforce isn’t jobs being replaced with AI, but instead, the rise of hybrid and remote workplaces. Not because he doesn’t believe in work-life balance, but because he worries that early talent can fade into the background and become invisible with less exposure to senior leadership.
His advice? Volunteer, go into the office strategically, and prepare thoroughly for opportunities to present to senior leadership.
“Don’t just ask to be in the room, earn your moment to shine,” he says.
On the topic of work-life balance, Brian touched on burnout, admitting he faced it several times during his career. The key to recovery, he said, lies in recognizing the signs—pessimism, fatigue, lack of joy—and adjusting before hitting a breaking point. He emphasized that time is a controlled asset.
“Shift just one or two hours from dumb work to smart energy, and the results can be dramatic.”
Closing the interview, Brian shares a piece of advice he still carries from his days at Ogilvy.
“Be nice to people on the way up because you’ll meet them on the way down.”
With Convocation on the horizon and McGill students preparing to graduate and face the uncertainties of the professional world, Brian’s insights offer both reassurance and inspiration. His story proves that the path to success is rarely linear, but with resilience, humility, and a long-term view, it can be deeply rewarding.
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This episode was hosted by
Mia Colaner
(BCom'25)
