Born and raised in rural Scotland, Jonny’s natural entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age, starting a car washing business in his neighbourhood at just 14 years old. While study marketing at the University of Stirling, Jonny had a number of business ventures, including buying and selling used cars to generate supplementary income.
At the age of 20, Jonny joined the highly competitive BMW Graduate programme. Following a number of promotions, Jonny was made General Manager of Digital and Innovation within BMW Financial Services at the age of 28, the youngest among his peers to reach this level of seniority.
In this role he led the team that delivered the BMW Innovation Lab, an award-winning corporate accelerator and the first of its kind within the industry. He subsequently spearheaded the BMW Intrapreneur lab, an internal innovation programme aimed at fostering a culture of innovation within the business.
Having made considerable waves during his 14 years with BMW, in 2018 Jonny was headhunted at the age of 32 to become UK Chief Executive of PayByPhone UK, one of the fastest-growing digital payment platforms in the UK, wholly owned by Volkswagen Financial Services AG. He has since delivered 30% year-on-year growth in a dynamic and constantly evolving industry.
Recognised in 2020 as “One of the UK’s top ten business gamechangers”, Jonny has been featured in publications such as HuffPost, The Economist and the Scotsman. He has shared his insight and experience with a wide range of well-recognised brands, including Barclays, Disney, Asset Finance International and Baillie Gifford.
Twitter: @JonnyCombe
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonny-combe-47b28236
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Episode recorded on 5 March 2021
