Jon Treanor has been in business for more than 35 years in a career that has taken different directions.

Currently the entrepreneur and former top boss of Oxford-based computer hardware firm Celoxica heads a successful business, the Mindfulness Mentor, specialising in personal mentoring for senior executives.

He comes from humble beginnings.

“I started my career as a lad in the Black Country, working for the butcher,” said Mr Treanor, 58.

“I chatted to customers and sold more than was expected and I also sold fruit and veg at the market. I realised I had a knack for sales and marketing.”

Next was a spell in the food industry.

“I wanted to be a chef,” he said. “The hours were long but it was good work. I soon started selling to other chefs and people in the food industry, who trusted me because of my expertise.”

However, he was destined for different things.

“I sold advertising for Yellow Pages,” he said.

“I moved up the chain until I was the national marketing director. But I wanted to sell things I loved, so I moved into film in the 1980s and ended up as senior vice-president of Paramount Pictures.

“Soon after that, the games industry came along and I could see it was going to be big. I co-founded [Oxford game producer] Rebellion to design games for, among others, Nintendo.”

“I then went to Sony and marketed the company in Europe before taking on the role of director of marketing at Phillips.”

“I knew I’d made it the day somebody handed me a piece of paper in 2001 that said my stock value was more than £20m.”

Mr Treanor has had a career many would envy, but one of his most poignant experiences came from a different place.

“In the years after 2001 things went downhill. My marriage had failed and I had been left feeling something was missing in my life.

“But in 2009 I attended the residential Hoffman Program for the BBC2 TV show The Big Silence.

The experience saw Mr Treanor spend eight days in silence in a monastery.

“It was a life-changing experience,” he said. “It was quiet. There’s only one place to go and that’s within yourself.

“I discovered what was really important to me.”

Now Mr Treanor is focused on sharing his experience with others.

“My passion for mindfulness has led me to form my own company,” he explained.

“I’m on a mission to bring mindfulness to the workplace. I mentor and coach people in leadership and career direction.

“Some people call it wisdom, but I call it passing on experience.”