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If you were a UN patron, what would you champion?

My job allows me the honour of interviewing many extraordinary people. Sometimes, life has thrown incidents at them and their choice has been to help someone else. It always amazes me how many strangers will help others when they could easily walk away.

Other people I interview are those with a real passion. It doesn't matter if it's cutting hair, laying bricks or making films, it's fascinating to find out what motivates them.

I didn't get the chance to interview him, but I heard Lewis Pugh speak last week and discovered that he's UN patron of the oceans. Partly because he's swum in every mass of water across the globe. Including the North Pole, which shouldn't have water to swim in. He's passionate about our global responsibility but he's also a very intelligent, driven man who speaks movingly about the need for a great team around you.

Which led me to thinking about what drives me.

What would I be UN patron of, given the option?

The answer is definitely jazz. If I had to do one thing and one thing alone for the rest of my life, it would be to listen to what I consider one of the most beautiful creative and inclusive forms of music. I play a bit, but never excelled. Perhaps that slight failure is what allows me to listen and understand the quality in others' performance.

So, what's your passion?


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