Dunstan is MD of Synthesis Europe. His background spans financial services, the third sector and brand strategy. All roads that led to a love of digging into the cultural ‘why’ behind the data, which is what he enjoys most in the day to day.
Theon Cross was the first gig I went to after Covid restrictions lifted and his music still captures for me the energy and sense of freedom from that weird time. ‘We Go Again’ from his album ‘Intra-I’ is a start of the morning favourite. Otherwise, my kids tend to dominate what’s played in the house, so I’m loving that they are bought into the current UK 90s revival - gives me a nice nostalgic hit!
A Netflix mini-series called ‘Toxic Town’. A documentary on environmental pollution and cover-ups in the UK. Bleak, but compelling - especially as the scandal and legal battle have gone on for most of my life.
‘An Olive Grove in Ends’ by Moses McKenzie. An incredible debut novel that vividly evokes the complexities and tensions in communities, coming of age and life choices of a young man growing up in inner city Bristol. It’s been a long time since I read anything that sharp and compelling.
I love reading on trains. There’s a pleasant ‘anonymity in company’, so you’re not alone, and aside from a decent coffee, what could be better than a changing view and a good book?
My favourite quote“Defy unkindness. Reverence fellowship. Listen to the quiet. Respect the young. Seek growth. Trust in change”. It’s hard to disagree with Tilda Swinton and her ways to approach life.
A notebook. I think and explore ideas by writing on paper.
Books! However short a holiday I’m going on, I’ll always pack multiple books - fiction, non-fiction, poetry. Some will be ones I’ve been saving up to read. I also re-read a lot, so often an old favourite or two. But always too many. That’s the non-negotiable.
Mumbai. I lived and worked there for a while and completely fell for its energy and optimism, despite the complexities of being a mega-city in a fast evolving country.
I get most ideas and inspiration when I’m fully concentrating on something else. Cooking, making things, listening to / playing music. But few things beat staring out of a window. It’s why I love a desk with a view - or long journeys. Curiously, I don’t get inspiration from exercise. My relationship with exercise is a topic for my therapist.
I no longer think that I’m invincible, invulnerable and immune to aging (see picture above for proof!). I’m at peace with it now.
A small print of a spring flower. There are probably better prints by better artists, but it is set in and by an artist from an area I know well and love, which is what made it special (both to give and, I’m told, to receive)
Lots of savoury things that no-one else in my family likes (capers, anchovies etc), a forlorn, almost empty yoghurt pot that one of the kids has forgotten about, and a sourdough starter. Some people name their starters and treat them like a child. My priorities are the other way round, which is good, because I’ve killed many starters.
A big glass of whisky that didn’t give me a hangover.
Ways of making coffee. It’s unintentional, but they just seem to accumulate. I also suspect that somewhere in my house is a shadow collection of all the pairs of sunglasses that I lose regularly. My wife despairs.
Drinking tea. You can laugh, but as a lifelong coffee fan, this came as something of a surprise. Initially as a slightly rueful way to cut down on the amount of coffee I drink, but then because it turns out I rather like it!
“Do something or do nothing”. It’s a great way to avoid wasting time. If you’re not going to work, don’t waste the time sat at your desk not really working. Go and do something else.
I pick up the basics of languages quite quickly. The only downside is that I get lazy and don’t push to learn more and become even half-way fluent!
People genuinely learn from mistakes of the past and aren’t afraid to change the status quo.
