Martin Bishop

Martin Bishop traded in his role as an industry bigwig to follow his dreams of making it as an actor. Any manual on writing movie scripts will tell you that somewhere in the first few minutes you need a Big Event, an upheaval that tips the balance and sends the characters marching off into the story.

For Martin Bishop the Big Event came in April 2002. Then he was the chairman of QS firm Franklin + Andrews, negotiating an historic merger with engineering firm Mott MacDonald. The deal was due to be completed on the 19th, but last-minute complications arose. It was a tense time for Bishop. On the 21st, a major artery in his neck decided to down tools and he found himself flat on his back in a hospital bed.

He was OK, although he had to play his part in finishing negotiations by telephone from his hospital bed. Back on his feet in a few days, he showed up at the new company for his new job – as global head of customer service – and realised he wasn't up for it. He resigned.