Week Ending: Jepson’s colourful career journey; the truth about Sir Dave

THERE can be few leading professionals who have had as interesting and varied career path as Philip Jepson, the lawyer turned headhunter and consultant with Jepson Holt and Totuus.

Speaking at the Legal Services 2015 seminar on Thursday, Jepson revealed that his early forays in the world of work saw him pursuing careers in entertainment and law enforcement before settling into professional life.

“Plan A was to be a popstar after I left school”, he related, before confessing that his career in front of the bright lights peaked at Pontins, where he became a Bluecoat.

His Plan B, involved a move to London, surprisingly not to find fame and fortune in showbiz-land, but to join the police.

After a short stint in the Old Bill, it was time for another change, as the young Jepson knuckled down to serious work as a solicitor, so Bluecoat, Bobbie and then Brief in a few short years.

Having since moved into headhunting and lately advising other law firms, he says he is now on “Plan  G”… where he is content to stay, for now…

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THERE’S a perception of cycling supremo Sir Dave Brailsford as cool, clinical strategist who makes all his decisions with precision.

Not so, says Chris Boardman, Olympic gold medallist and fellow traveller in the ways of the marginal gain.

Speaking at an EY dinner in Manchester on Monday, Boardman revealed the Team Sky boss was “messy”.

“Everyone assumes it’s slick, and it’s an utter mess,” laughed Boardman.

“If you were to make a cake with him he would go out and buy all the ingredients he can lay his hands on and intuitively make it the best he could. He gets it done, but it’s messy.”