Name: Don Leslie
Job: Careers Coach
Industry: Business Education
Class of: 1974
House: Clyde

What do you do?

I’m an Evangelist for the management consultancy industry. I coach bright students – mainly MBAs at business schools – on how to pivot into fast-track jobs with consultancy firms. 

How did you get to where you are today?

Good fortune. I saw there was growing demand from the consulting sector for students and young professionals which no-one else was satisfying. So I set up a recruitment business in London for management consultants. 30 years later, I stepped down. But after four days of Netflix, I discovered that retirement wasn’t for me, so I reinvented myself as a coach for aspiring consultants. Even though I’m approaching 60 – from the wrong direction – I still really enjoy what I do.

What is a standout memory of your time at The High School of Glasgow?

My time in the Army Cadet Corps (the CCF), and exploring the shelves of the old library in C Block. But most of all, thanks to the encouragement and guidance of certain teachers, discovering that I was actually quite good at life skills.

What one piece of advice would you give to current pupils and recent leavers as they look to their futures?

Take yourself out of your comfort zone. Grasp opportunities that present themselves – you never know where they might lead. My two proudest achievements, family and career, came about through taking a step into the unknown. Good luck!

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