My secret work weapon: Music gets me in the right frame of mind for meetings

It's my iPod, and having a song for every occasion on it. I have to play lots of roles in my position.

With the Freeview team I have to be a leader and a source of inspiration, sometimes calming and reassuring; with the board and shareholders, I need to be influential and strategic; with agencies I must be creative, and so on.

It means that I need to be quite different in my mood and focus from one meeting to the next. I find it incredibly helpful to listen to a particular track that gets me into that mentality.

I've always used music in this way - it comes from playing a lot of sport - and I like to reflect before going to a big meeting.

If I want to get fired up, I'd listen to, for example, Something Better Change by The Stranglers. If I need to be upbeat, then it would be something like Have a Nice Day by Stereophonics, or if I need inspiration, The Impossible Dream by Andy Williams. I have eclectic taste.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk