Irving Plonskier

Irving Plonskier was a media icon in the ad agency business... then he became an even bigger media icon in the media business. Today, he is once again reinventing himself and leading the way in the renewable energy business.

Defining moment: While working in a specialized media unit at Y&R New York, he was approached by his direct boss about working international. After waiting patiently for the right opportunity, took the leap and accepted the position of Media Director at Y&R Madrid. The catch? Spoke no Spanish. Had never been to Spain. But he soon found that language is just of many factors in communicating with people.

What changed that you never expected to change?

In the advertising agency world, holding companies going public and shifting from being 100% client-focused to being focused on Wall Street, quarterly profits and sustainable earnings momentum.

In the media world, seeing media companies actively "going to sleep" to avoid the digital revolution, burying their heads in the sand and hoping the digital revolution would go away.

Coping with change: Irving had always been an entrepreneur even while inside Y&R and Sony... an "intrapreneur". In leading a renewable energy company, he drew from the discipline he acquired at Y&R which was learning about any client quickly to a good base level. Not an expert, but quickly becoming profficient in any business.

One word of advice to a CEO looking to hire: Hire the best person you can find. The better your people are, the better your company will be and the better off you'll be.