HARD WORK pays off

There are no shortcuts to success, and working harder than everyone else around you has been Jason Yates’ mantra from the start of his career as a Youth Training Scheme apprentice at the John English salon group in Stoke-on-Trent. He is now President of John Paul Mitchell Systems and HJ’s Jayne Lewis-Orr caught up with him in Frankfurt

Hard work is the common theme throughout Jason Yates’ career which began with a salary of £29.50 a week and a 60-hour week. Now as President of John Paul Mitchell Systems, he has come a long way from Stoke-on-Trent where he worked in the John English salon Monday -Saturday aged 15.

Jason's career in hair started early – by 19, he was a salon manager and educating the apprentices. Competition success led to a place on a young artistic team and from here, Jason was exposed to more opportunity. A meeting at Salon International led to a role with Farouk, where he was tasked with the UK brand launch before moving into the European Art Director role. “I have always believed that with the right mindset you can realise your ambitions, but you have to be consistent,” says Jason. “I never thought I would leave Stoke – I wanted to be the best apprentice, then the busiest stylist and then I entered a hairdressing competition and I wanted to win.”

It was this win which led to work with a colour house and the opportunity to progress within that business, but it was an opportunity that Jason didn’t end up taking. “I was in a relationship at the time so didn’t pursue the offer and when the relationship ended, the opportunity was gone. I realised that I could only control my career, not my relationships!”

In 2001, Jason had been in the salon for 12 years and felt he had gone as far as he could. “So when I was offered the opportunity in 2001 to become Global Art Director and move to the US, I took it and within six weeks I knew I would be staying,” he says. “I travelled the world educating and worked across product development, marketing and sales.”

In 2012 Jason got a call from Paul Mitchell and he joined as VP of Sales. “I had been married a week, accepted the role and told my wife we were moving 2000 miles in two weeks. It was the best decision I have ever made,” he explains. “Paul Mitchell was very well established, with great people who all believe in the hairdressing industry, where the salon and stylist are at the heart of everything we do, and every decision.”

In 2015, the role expanded to include marketing before a step into the Chief Operating Officer position in 2017, when John Paul Dejoria shared his plans for Jason’s progression towards the President’s role. “This has given me time to get my arms around the role and also manage the work/life balance. To be successful, you need to work harder than everyone else, but not to the point where you become ineffective. I am naturally a workaholic but managing a global business means I have to manage my time well.”

When asked what he’d tell his younger self, Jason responds:“I would tell that 15-year-old YTS apprentice to not try and be an expert in everything, hire people who are smarter than you and clear the way for them to be successful. And, you can’t do everything yourself – ask for help when you need it!”

On his current role, Jason has nothing but positive things to say. “I work in a family business with great people who have a good heart and we have fun. Europe and the UK is a very big focus for us as it is the home of hairdressing,” he reveals. “We work in an industry that allows us to go in different directions, especially if you are a young stylist. My career may not be a typical path for a hairdresser, but it's certainly one that can happen."