Scott Mead - Zen and the Art of Commerce
The idea that an individual can excel in several fields
, or have several careers, is something of an anomaly. The Renaissance Man' tag is the stuff of yore, and perhaps we, in our modernity, don't have the inner quietude or discipline to make such quantum leaps. After all, we live in an age where judging an individual's worth is relegated to armchair deliberations in front of Pop Idol (Warhol was right, except the fifteen minutes now seems an eternity). So, it's always impressive when someone like Gordon Ramsay is able to juggle Michelin stars, restaurant openings, being a father, running marathons, and finding time to yell at hapless chef's on his TV shows. When does the man sleep? I'd imagine he doesn't, and that's one of the key ingredients to his success, although there always seems to be something more than just a tireless work ethic that creates successful individuals. Trying to find out what that Zen-like something' is always fascinating and defining success is equally elusive, and can't be measured only in financial terms.
Scott Mead made his initial mark in the cut-throat world of investment banking and climbed the ranks in Goldman Sachs, where, in under a decade, he became a partner and later a managing director. It's often the case that the business world doesn't celebrate its leading players outside of the cloistered confines of The Wall Street Journal or Fortune Magazine and it rarely recognizes that there must be a drive that propels its successful leaders, more than just the desire to make money; like any profession, those that excel must accept the challenges and demands, both of which can be tremendous.
Mead is indeed a well known player in the financial services arena, so much so that he has even had the adjective legendary' used in the press to describe his pice de rsistance the Vodafone acquisition of German company, Mannesmann; a project headed by him in 2000, and described by the BBC as the largest corporate merger in history' creating a combined value of 112bn and an estimated 42 million customers. Besides being the biggest, it was also one of the most complex and contested acquisition deals ever. Although this is the most well known example, Mead was, during his time at Goldman Sachs, also responsible for completing transactions worth over $500 billion.
The above is certainly one measure of success for sure, but only one facet of an interesting and varied career. Besides continuing to work in the financial sector with early stage investments, Mead has recently returned to photography, which he pursued with a great passion from his early years. Having been raised in the U.S., he was able to work under the tutelage of such legendary photographers as William Eggleston and Emmet Gowin, who, like Mead, is known for using a large format camera with a smaller lens, giving the photograph a unique circular field. And after the recent rediscovery of many negatives, prints and old large format cameras from his time at university in the 1970's, Mead has just had his first solo show for over thirty years at the well known
Hamiltons Gallery in central London.
The collection of photographs were taken after many hours devoted to studying the landscape of New England, and trying to capture the feel and spirit of the environment; the same area of the country that once so enchanted Henry David Thoreau. And he has already had two of his photographs shortlisted for the Royal Academy 2010 Summer Exhibition. Although this recent show entitled "Looking Back" is work from Mead's past, he always retained his ability to "see", even while not actively photographing during his years at Goldman Sachs. In the past year or so he has begun actively taking pictures and hopes to exhibit these and some additional work from the past in the next year.
There are only so many hours in the day, and to find the drive and determination to pursue and excel at very different disciplines is inspiring. The same motivation that drives someone to be successful in business also inspires one to see through a lens to try and capture the rational order of things, or to give form to the unknown; everyone has infinite capabilities, but harnessing and refining them takes craft, work and above all, desire.
Scott Mead - Zen and the Art of Commerce
By: William Feins
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