Conrad Persons

Conrad co-founded and served as the CEO of Mash, a creative, strategy and growth consultancy founded in 2010 by the former Kantar chief, which was then acquired by WPP in 2018. Mash offered four key services – insight, growth strategy, innovation and brand transformation – and worked for major global brands.

Conrad takes pride in building businesses and strong cultures, and 2 years after acquisition more than 85% of Mash’s original employees remained in the group.

Conrad Persons was previously Global Strategist at WPP. His focus is on advising leaders from the some of the group’s largest clients (Amazon, Dell, EY) on how to use the power of creativity to grow their businesses – be that speaking to new audiences, creating new experiences, services and business models, or designing ways to balance purpose and profit.

Conrad has served in in a variety of creative strategy roles, working on campaigns for clients such as American Express, KFC, and Baidu.

Conrad has written for the Guardian, blogged for the New York Times, featured in Fortune, and published fiction in America. He serves as a mentor to many creatives and strategists in the industry, and has recently lectured at Central St Martins and the IPA. An American, he founded a scholarship in the US to make education more accessible to underrepresented groups. He serves as a Trustee on the College Foundation at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. He is a long-suffering Arsenal supporter, and a minority investor in the Michelin-starred wine bar and restaurant Leroy, in Shoreditch.