John Fallon is CEO of Pearson, the multinational publishing company and former owner of the Financial Times. In this in-depth interview, John discusses the disposal of the FT; outlines his plans for Pearson’s turnaround, despite facing their toughest years yet; talks candidly about his business successes and failures; takes us through his career, from humble beginnings as John Prescott’s researcher, to CEO of a global brand; reveals why he treasures the first edition of Dr Johnson’s Dictionary in his office; and explains his motivation to return to corporate life after beating throat cancer.