‘Never take no for an answer’ - former Culture, Media and Sport minister Tessa Jowell on what it takes to be a ‘changemaker’
The former minister for the London Olympics has offered advice to creatives looking to drive change.
Ex-Labour MP dame Tessa Jowell has told The Drum that those who want to drive change through creativity should follow her Mother’s advice and “never take no for an answer, if no is not the answer to the question you’re asking.”
Jowell received a DBE in 2012 for political and charitable services after she spearheaded London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and more recently stood for election in Labour’s London mayoral selection.
Speaking at The Drum’s Plan It Day event, in which marketers and brands devised strategies to help change the world in a 24-hour timeframe, she said that those who want to break the mould should “recognise their own path as drivers of change beyond themselves.”
“Changemakers will also be people who don’t just want to go to work; when they talk about who they work for they want to be proud of their company,” she added.
According to Jowell, those who galvanise disruption usually have a “magnetism” that will draw people to them “through the power of the passion for the change they identify with.”
The politician was on hand at The Drum’s Plan It Day in order to support the marketing industry as it tackled briefs with the aim of solving some of the world’s most pressing problems from diversity to climate change.
The event was a precursor to The Drum’s upcoming Do It Day event which will see brands and creatives pull together to improve the world in just 24 hours.
If you are empowered by the possibilities of setting aside one day to do something amazing you can find out more by visiting the Do It Day website.