John Cullum’s life has been shaped by music and leadership as well as by a Stoic philosophy – from his refugee background and an early gig with The Kinks to a business career and a deep involvement in charity, culture and community in Bath.
John Cullum recollects asking Michael Parkinson when he first heard his son Jamie Cullum’s music, “Do you think Jamie can make a career of this?”“John, he’s got something about him,” Parkinson said. “I’ve met stars and he’s got it. He will be a star one day.”
Jamie Cullum first appeared on Parkinson’s chat show in 2003 when he was just 24. Shortly after he signed a £1 million record deal with Universal Music Group, ending that year as the UK’s biggest-selling jazz artist of all time. Now an established jazz-pop singer, pianist and songwriter, Jamie has sung with names such as Robbie Williams, Midge Ure, Billy Joel, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes and will.i.am.
John jokes about his own primary billing as Jamie Cullum’s father, but it’s clear much of Jamie’s talent has flourished within a thoroughly musical gene pool. As a young man John played in a dance band to earn extra money while his wife Yvonne sang in a band when they met. At university John’s band Take Five supported The Kinks when they played in Dundee in 1966. “To this day, I don’t know how we got the gig, but suddenly we were on stage, 17 years old, in front of 3,000 screaming girls. We were absolutely terrified – rabbits in the headlights.”
Music was a constant presence in the Cullum household – Yvonne’s brother was a talented jazz guitarist and a strong influence on Jamie. From an early age, Jamie and his brother Ben (now a very successful composer and record producer) were exposed to jazz and a wide range of music. Both boys showed natural musical ability as toddlers: “I used to put them in the back of a car on long journeys and play tapes – at the age of two they could drum in time and they had almost perfect pitch.”
At the time John felt this augured well. “This was a wonderful gift –I felt it would help them to make friends and to enjoy life, but I never expected to see the success they have both achieved.”
John’s own family were refugees. He was born in Jerusalem when it was still part of Palestine. “My father was stationed there with the British Army, and my mother was a German Jew from what was then Prussia. She escaped the Nazis with part of her family, with others lost in the Holocaust, and they settled in Palestine, where she met my father.
I feel a deep personal sadness when I see the ongoing enmity in the Middle East.
It genuinely worries me
“We moved back to the UK when I was just six months old, but my background is deeply shaped by refugee stories, from Nazi Germany and wartime Burma. My father-in-law had Indian and Japanese heritage, and when the Japanese invaded, the family fled Burma with almost nothing.
Reflecting on the Middle East conflict, John says, “I was raised in the Church of England, but my mother was Jewish, and my father experienced persecution. So I feel a deep, personal sadness when I see the ongoing enmity in the Middle East. It genuinely worries me. There has to be a solution – one that fully acknowledges the rights and existence of the Palestinian people, while also respecting the right of Israel to exist. The extreme voices on all sides, including some Zionists, make that harder. But we have to break through.”
John, based in Bath for 27 years, has enjoyed a distinguished business career. After studying Economics and Psychology at St Andrews University he toyed with becoming a child psychiatrist. “After four years studying for a Masters degree, I just wanted to earn money, so when Ford said, ‘We need finance people – we’ll send you on an accountancy course’, I thought ‘great’. Finance was never really what I loved. But I was good at it, so with two kids and a mortgage, when the opportunities came I knuckled down.”
John held senior executive roles in the motor industry, as Finance Director of Ford Credit Europe and then as CEO and Chair of PHH Corporation’s European Operations. “I was able to lead, but the motor industry then was very macho; with no women on the board.” John distinguished himself in that world for his down-to-earth connections.
“I became more comfortable with leadership roles because of my background in psychology. I understood people – I always wanted to see their viewpoint and listen a little bit more. When I was at PHH I had to go through three different sets of doors to get to my office in the executive suite. And I hated that! I used to love going down to the main floor and talking to everybody. I just wanted to see people, and ask about them and how their kids were doing!”
After retiring at 53, John transitioned into a portfolio of non-executive directorships, which still includes chairmanships at JBP Ltd (who specialise in PR and digital communications) and Australia-based property services company Vivid Property Management Pty.
After retirement John has made a significant impact in the charitable and arts sectors. He has served as Chair of Bath Festivals and of the Royal United Hospital’s Forever Friends Appeal and was involved with the Quartet Community Foundation among other Bath-based charities. A former High Sheriff and now a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset, John remains a passionate advocate for the arts and local communities, particularly through his continued support of live music.
“Charities need more than money – they need skills. I’ve been able to give financially, but what’s struck me is how much essential work these organisations are doing, particularly in areas like education and sport where public funding has pulled back. And it’s only getting harder, with the cost of living and government support shrinking. I try never to judge anyone’s choice of charity. Everyone gives for their own reasons. What’s opened my eyes most is seeing just how many good people and volunteers are out there. That’s what keeps me optimistic about the world.”
John embraces a Stoic philosophy. “The Stoics teach that most of life is beyond our control. You have to adapt, be flexible, expect nothing and shape your life around what is. Nature reflects that perfectly. Trees don’t have hang-ups – they lose their leaves, they die back and then they return.
“Over the years, I’ve tried to not just read philosophy, but live by it. The simplest lessons are the most powerful: be kind.
“When I look at my grandchildren, I reflect on how far we’ve come. I grew up in a society that was openly racist – I remember walking through London and seeing signs that said ‘No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs.’ But at Jamie’s wedding, there were so many gay couples, all completely accepted. That kind of change gives you real hope for the future.”