Careering with guest, Jayson Williams

Welcome to the first episode of our special Seldon Rosser podcast series called Careering.

In this series we speak with experienced leaders about the unexpected detours in their career journey. Speaking candidly about their experiences, our guest will inspire and motivate, offering advice and suggestions for how to re-route your career when it comes off the rails.

About our guest, Jayson Williams

Jayson Williams is the Asia Head of BD and Marketing for global law firm DLA Piper, based in Hong Kong. He has lived and worked in Hong Kong for six years. The past eight years of his résumé show an impressive career trajectory:

BD Manager at a boutique law firm in Melbourne, Senior BD Manager, Corporate for Clifford Chance Head of BD for Hong Kong's oldest law firm, Deacons.

It sounds like a flawless career so far. But what many people don't know is before working in BD for law firms, he founded and ran a multi-million dollar business in Australia, managing a workforce of one hundred across many different sectors and industries. He was a self-made man by the age of 35, until it all went horribly wrong. The global financial crisis (and other factors) devastated his business. And within 18 months he had lost or sold on almost everything. How did he get his career back on track? This is his story.

Thanks to the City of Melbourne for funding this podcast through a grant.