How did you get here?
I came to London from Canada, via Amsterdam and Leeds.  I came here for work and love, made it through school and am now here indefinitely and happily.

Are you stressed?
Not right now, but it comes and goes.  May and October are our busiest months, so we’re gearing up for a lot of stress.

If not yourself, who would you be?
I’m really happy being me.  I don’t want to be anyone else.

Which living person do you most admire?
My girlfriend, to be honest.  I don’t put any value on people I don’t know personally in terms of admiring them, other than admiring specific things about them.  As a whole, it’s my girlfriend I admire the most.

Which place do you call home – and why? Forest Gate, London.  It’s where I’m most comfortable, where many of my friends are and one of my favourite green spaces, Wanstead Flats.

What is a typical day in your life like?  I get to work for 9:30 or 10am.  My day is a mixture of emails, meetings and research, unless I’m on the road, which is between 4 and 5 months a year.  Then my day can be really anything, anywhere.  A lot of airports, hotels and bars.

What’s the worst piece of advice anyone’s ever given you?  Listen to other people more than you listen to yourself.

Which film character do you most identify with?  Mark Ruffalo’s character in Begin Again, I feel.

(Apart from religious texts) Name one book you think everyone should read? Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being in my garden listening to music, drinking a beer and reading a book.  I’m a really simple person.

What quality do you loathe in other people? Greed.

What quality do you most admire in other people? Honesty.

Shain Shapiro is MD of Sound Diplomacy, music market strategists for cities and governments.  One of their projects which is hosting is the Music Cities Convention on May 13 in Brighton