Canary Wharf Group Chairman Sir Nigel Wilson reflects on how his family values and intellectual curiosity shaped his rise from a council estate to the boardroom, why building consensus and learning from mistakes matters in leadership and how staying true to the common good has guided his toughest decisions.
Sir Nigel Wilson, chairman of Canary Wharf Group, began life on a council estate in northeast England and rose to become one of the U.K.’s most prominent CEOs.
“I was very lucky because I grew up on a modern council estate where modern schools had been built, and so we had young teachers who were totally enthusiastic and enjoyed the intellectual curiosity I had,” Wilson told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on the “Executive Decisions” podcast.
His life took a dramatic turn when he earned a scholarship to MIT.
“My dad went over to the pub with me and said, ‘I just want to tell you all my son got into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,’ and the people in the pub went, ‘But there’s a tech at Darlington. Why is he not going to Darlington?'” Wilson recalled.
After graduating from MIT, Wilson spent time in academia before moving into the corporate world, working at McKinsey, Dixons, and later serving as CFO and CEO of Legal & General.
Wilson credits his intellectual curiosity — a drive to tackle complex industry challenges — for guiding his career moves and shaping his leadership philosophy.
“The world should be a wonderful place because there’s tons of opportunities to do great things out there. We’re just not doing enough of those great things right now, but the opportunity set is there to do it and really make a difference. And we can,” he said.
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