John, sitting at the same desk he uses now, just as he did in the early days of JAA.
“I didn’t actually choose to keep working,” he says. “It just happened.”
And maybe that’s the point. There was no formal line in the sand. No break with purpose. Instead, work simply evolved — from necessity, to passion, to something like air: always there, shifting shape but essential all the same.
Not Work — A Way of Living
John insists he’s no longer a workaholic. “I work, but I have other interests. If I’m not doing anything, I’ll introduce something else — sports, cricket, charities. I don’t do Fridays, and definitely not weekends.” But Caroline, his daughter and colleague, offers a more nuanced view: “You say you don’t do much, but you’re actually doing a lot. You’ve integrated what you love — cricket, sport, charity — into your work.”
It’s clear that over time, John blurred the line between profession and passion so thoroughly that even he no longer separates them. “A lot of our clients are charities,” he says. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like work— it’s things I enjoy.” That blend has become his formula: make your interests your job, and you’ll never feel the need to stop.
John, second from the left.
A Life of Legacy and Purpose
John’s story isn’t just about grit or longevity — it’s about love. Love of ideas, of people, of causes. His path into media was almost accidental. “A mate told me the media business was taking off and that I’d be good at it,” he recalls. “Eventually I got in. In my first four years, I was headhunted four times.”
He never looked back. From those early days to helping launch Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s media arm, to backing other founders like David Pattison, Nick Horswell and Jonathan Durden (who launched global media agency PHD with John’s support), his career reads like a map of modern media history. More than accolades, though, what drives John is connection. “Most of my friends are from the industry. My social life and work life — they’ve always overlapped.”
He’s still excited by new business and big ideas. “I don’t think that drive will ever go,” he admits.
“As a major shareholder in a business you created, you have a duty —to yourself and your legacy — to stay healthy.”
The Secret? Keep Moving
Staying active — physically and mentally — is clearly part of John’s approach. “I’ve got a personal trainer. I ran four marathons, including one on my 70th birthday. My wife banned me after that one,” he laughs. Two and a half years ago, he gave up alcohol. “Within two months, I realised I’d changed my life.”
There’s a quiet discipline under the charm: in fitness, in relationships, and in maintaining a sense of responsibility for what he’s built. “As a major shareholder in a business you created, you have a duty — to yourself and your legacy — to stay healthy.”
John and his daughter Caroline, Marketing Director at JAA.
Retirement? Not Interested.
“I won’t ever ‘stop’ working,” John says. “Some days I don’t do much at the office—I just do other things. But stopping completely? No.” He’s seen what conventional retirement can mean. “I know people who waited their whole lives to retire — and died within days.”
John’s alternative model is simple: keep contributing, keep connecting, keep growing. Whether he’s mentoring younger staff, helping develop charity campaigns, or writing his memoir Where the Carpet Stops, he’s still making things happen.
“It’s about flexibility and legacy. Not treating age as a limitation, but an asset. John’s presence still shapes our business — his wisdom is part of our DNA.”
Lessons for the Future of Work
When asked what he’d say to younger generations who might work into their 90s, or into their 100+, John is clear, “Whatever you do, enjoy it. If you don’t, go find something else.” He believes that enjoyment — purpose, alignment, interest — is the fuel that sustains a long working life. And he worries that transactional ways of working may undermine that. “Technology’s great, but it can’t replace trust. That’s built over time —over lunches, over cricket days. Not emails.”
In an age of rapid communication, John makes the case for slow relationship-building. “I’ve never used a computer. Everything I’ve done came from conversations, from people.” Caroline agrees, “John was always networking, but in a meaningful way. Not hard selling. Gen Z may see things differently, but those deep relationships — that’s where resilience comes from.”
John and some of the JAA team at an annual charity fundraiser.
Redesigning the Workplace for Longevity
What does John think needs to change if more people are to work well into later life? “Jobs should evolve as people do,” he says. “Let people dial up or down based on their lives. Give space for other interests.”
Caroline adds, The future of work, in this vision, isn’t about extending old patterns—it’s about breaking them entirely.
Rather than treating retirement as a finish line, John models a more fluid path — dialing work up or down depending on the moment, not the age.
Key Insights: Rethinking Retirement Through John Ayling’s Eyes
John Ayling’s approach to retirement invites us to rethink what it really means to step back — or step forward. For him, purpose isn’t something you retire from. It’s the fuel that keeps you engaged, especially when your work reflects who you are. John has built a career not by separating life and work, but by aligning them. His longevity isn’t just about health; it’s about honoring a legacy, staying present, and continuing to add value in ways that feel natural, flexible, and deeply personal.
Rather than treating retirement as a finish line, John models a more fluid path — dialing work up or down depending on the moment, not the age. His story reminds us that trust and long-standing relationships matter more than transactions, and that flexibility is key as our lives stretch longer. In the end, it’s not about working harder, but working wiser—with joy, with intention, and with a willingness to pass the ball when the time is right, just like in cricket. John’s journey is more than a career — it’s a masterclass in meaningful living.
& 
