Raising the Brand with Henry Tobias Jones, Global Head of Content at EQT Group
Welcome to Private Equity Marketeer’s Raising the Brand, where we highlight the creative minds and strategic thinkers who are redefining how private market firms connect with their audiences, build trust, and tell their stories.
Today, we’re sitting down with Henry Tobias Jones, Global Head of Content and Head of ThinQ at EQT Group. Henry brings a different kind of energy to content in private markets, with a background that spans consumer & retail (Dyson & John Lewis), tech (the AI podcast The Robot Brains), and now private equity.
At EQT, Henry has elevated the role of content, reshaping how one of Europe’s biggest private markets investors shows up in the world – through storytelling, social media, and a clear, human point of view. Let’s get into it.
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Henry Tobias Jones is the Global Content Director at EQT. In the not-too-distant past, he was the Head of Content at John Lewis (yes, the Xmas ad place), a journalist at the Evening Standard and Dyson’s editorial director.
EQT is an investment organization committed to creating value by finding good companies and helping them become the most promising builders of tomorrow
Learn more about EQT here.
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EQT is an investment organization committed to creating value by finding good companies and helping them become the most promising builders of tomorrow.
With a global presence giving us strength on a local level, we take responsibility for shaping a brighter future.
Because we believe that doing good is good business.
Building a Content Strategy in Private Markets
EQT has grown its global presence through content. How have you adapted your strategy across regions?
Henry: Right now, our focus is on building a tribe – an invested audience (literally and figuratively). Looking at the data, the community we’re creating content for is actually more globally aligned than it is regionally distinct. We’ve experimented a bit with localisation, but mostly we’re building broad platforms like our editorial site ThinQ and social media. At EQT one of our strongest propositions is that we’re local with locals. I think this is the key to our slightly different way of looking at regionalisation of a global content strategy.
You doubled your LinkedIn following organically in under a year. Why do so many financial institutions still struggle with social?
Henry: The biggest mistake is treating social media like a broadcast channel. People seem to think it is 90% about posting content. It’s not – it’s a community platform. The clue’s in the name. Don’t shout at people. Be social.
If your content doesn’t sound like something you’d actually say to someone, why are you posting it? You wouldn’t walk into a room and start reading a factsheet. So why post like that? Being on social without being social is like going to a party and handing out brochures.
Even among the firms who are using the platforms properly, the next major issue is the content topics and types. Too much private market content still leans too heavily on deals and market commentary. It tells; it doesn’t talk. And when it does talk it speaks in a relatively uninclusive language – lots of jargon and industry speak. That might work for a narrow audience, but there’s a ceiling on how far it goes. It rarely sparks conversation and almost never earns attention outside of your base.
It’d be unfair for me to critique the wider industry but I think historically, even firms as huge as EQT never had to use channels like these to survive and thrive. But today we are trying to build a brand with a much broader appeal. We may never be like the consumer brands I’ve worked with in the past, but the days of B2B content strategies that solely focus on the sales marketing audience are dying or dead. Today even B2B firms need resonant “pull” brands and content. So for firms like us, social media isn’t a nice to have, it’s essential.
Telling Your Story Through Portfolio Companies
How do you see the role of portfolio companies in EQT’s brand? What are the best ways to use them in storytelling?
Henry: If we could imagine EQT as Nike for a second, our portfolio companies are our athletes. Just like Nike backs talent to build its brand, we rely on our portfolio companies to show the value we bring. They are the lifeblood: future deal flow, proof of exits, evidence of value creation. And frankly, it’s what we’re best at.
But a brand has to be about more than what you do. For Nike, the trainers and the athletes are the “what” – but the “why” is bigger. It’s about grit and determination.
Same for EQT. Portfolio stories will always matter, but they need to say something bigger about who we are and what we believe in so that our customers don’t just see our performance as a number. A case study that just shows EBITDA and revenue growth? That’s not a differentiator at our level. That’s table stakes. We want every story to show that our way of looking at the world is better – for clients, for companies, for society. We ruthlessly learn from our mistakes and grow through a constant striving for optimization. That doesn’t happen in a spreadsheet. It happens with people, strategy and governance. Those are the stories we need people to know about.
Content Series and Thought Leadership
EQT launched ThinQ, the must-bookmark publication for the thinking investor, in 2024. How do you decide on topics for ThinQ by EQT?
Henry: EQT is a global firm investing across sectors and regions – so there’s no shortage of stories to tell. We work closely with the business – from deal teams to our growing private wealth unit. Of course, we cover big themes like AI, healthcare and infrastructure, but we also chase the unexpected. That’s usually where the best stories are hiding.
Outside of internally sourced stories, I’d describe EQT as very worldly. So we are interested in stories that speak to the real world. To do that we use media monitoring and social media to identify topics and approaches that’ll help our readers understand our role in the world a little better. We have to really consider if we have something meaningful to add to a conversation, so we don’t always prioritize speed.
Given your experience in producing a successful podcast with guests from Tesla and OpenAI, do you think every investment firm should consider starting a podcast?
Henry: No.
Podcasts are hard to get right. Just because you have something to say doesn't mean anyone wants to hear it. Brands often overestimate how interesting they are – especially in niche industries like finance.
That said, podcasts can be brilliant if you’re clear on your goals. If you care about building an audience and earning attention, then it’s a great growth channel. But you need to go in knowing you’ll have to earn every single listener. It’s the hardest channel to fake.
Also only about 1% of podcasts make it to 100 episodes. That’s the test. If you’re not going to make that kind of long-term bet, don’t start.
Channel Strategy and Distribution
How do you prioritise content channels at EQT?
Henry: We’re still debating that. In most industries, the idea of 100% audience reach is impossible. But private markets are niche enough that, in theory, you probably could get pretty close to reaching everyone that matters – if you get your creative and distribution right. That’s exciting and a little terrifying. One thing that is front of mind for me and my team though is that we’re in our “audience building” era. Nothing is more important than making EQT superfans and producing content that people find useful and platforms that people want to come back to.
What signals do you track to see if your social strategy is working?
Henry: We’re trying to do something that most high finance brands haven’t done yet – build real audience loyalty, not just impressions. It’s not about clicks – it’s about resonance. Are the right people paying attention? Are they coming back? Are they sharing, commenting, reaching out? That’s the signal.
Innovating in a Regulated Industry
Coming from Dyson and John Lewis, how did you adjust to private equity’s rules and restrictions?
Henry: There are rules in every industry. At Dyson, I had more than one legal debate about the air wattage of a vacuum cleaner. Finance is regulated, yes – but let me tell you, so are vacuum cleaners.
I think finance likes to think it’s more complicated than it is. That’s part of the industry’s historic bravado which luckily seems to be gone or going. But at EQT, one of our mottos is “Dare to Simplify.”
Regulation isn’t the enemy. It’s there to stop you from misleading people. If you’re genuinely trying to inform, entertain, and help your audience – you’re already on the right side of the rules.
Advice for smaller funds that want to be bold, but fear reputational or regulatory risk?
Henry: Regulatory risk is easy: learn the rules, follow them. Reputational risk? That’s harder – but also where you make the biggest impact.
The question is: who do you want to be? And what do you stand for?
Without a point of view, your content will be ignored. And just because you’re a small fund doesn’t mean you need a small brand. The biggest risks to reputation don’t come from being bold, it comes from being inauthentic or invisible.
Lessons Learned and Advice
What’s the most valuable lesson you brought with you into private equity?
Henry: When I joined, I had a long list of things I thought I could “fix” with a consumer content playbook. But I didn’t want to be the guy who just copy-pasted what worked elsewhere. The playbook’s useless if you don’t understand the game. So I listened a lot. I learned. A lot. And we took the time to really understand the game plan.
Have you ever faced internal scepticism about a content initiative?
Henry: Rather than scepticism I would characterise it as a challenge. But yes totally with the launch of our new thought leadership platform: ThinQ. Before we launched, people kept asking: “What is it?” They didn’t get it and to be fair to them they’d never seen anything like it.
Three months later, those same people were sending ideas for how to make it better. Nothing persuades like progress.
One piece of advice you wish you’d had earlier in your career?
Henry: Look at the problem, not the solution everyone else has come up with.
Marketing has spent the last decade chasing “performance” e.g. efficiency. CPMs look great. ROI keeps going up. And yet… overall advertising effectiveness has been declining year on year. So much so that now the “solution” has become the “problem”.
Efficiency has slowly killed effectiveness. Performance “marketing” if you can even call it that is more like engineering or sales. It’s 1s and 0s. And when you start it’s like a drug for CFOs. At first, KPIs move in the right directions and everything looks rosy until you stop taking the medicine. Then you realise what you’ve created isn’t sustainable and start to worry about brand but by then you can’t divert the money you need to other areas. It happens all the time and I’m endlessly amazed that nobody sees it.
Am I saying that performance marketing doesn’t work? Quite the opposite. I’m just saying that it isn’t the only answer. I just wish more people would stop obsessing over the tools and media plans that others are using and start asking: what actually moves the needle?
Take brand awareness – do we need to spend 60% of the budget on display ads in exchange for impressions? Or could we do something braver, simpler, faster that crunches the funnel and blends reach with engagement?
Advice for smaller funds that want to build a brand?
If you want a brand and you’re not willing to invest in it – your priorities are wrong.
That said, teenagers in bedrooms are making more engaging content than entire marcomms teams in global finance firms so don’t mistake a big budget with the right level of investment.
You need to invest in people and strategies. If you find someone who gets it, let them do it ugly. Don’t over-think it. Just start. And don’t get in your own way by letting assumptions about what a finance brand should be stop you from becoming something your clients will love.
What’s the best advice you ever ignored?
“Stick to your lane.” Glad I didn’t.
Looking Ahead
What trends or innovations are you most excited about?
Henry: To be honest, I’m not that interested in how AI makes content easier. I’m more interested in how it forces us to rethink why we make content in the first place. Trying to trick Google with SEO has flooded the internet with junk. When everyone can generate a thousand blog posts in an hour, the stuff that’s truly distinctive will matter more than ever. I think AI raises the bar, not lowers it.
What’s one finance buzzword you’d love to retire forever?
Whitepaper. It comes with so many connotations that just needn’t be the case. PDF, dry and factual, LinkedIn sign up sheet. Why? There’s a billion better ways to convey the information in a whitepaper – especially to people who like reading white papers.
Bonus Round
What’s your all-time favourite brand and why?
Honestly? EQT. Not just because I work here – but because we’re doing the things most firms are still afraid to try.
And outside the private markets?
From a professional perspective, Red Bull are the gold standard for brand and content. It’s more like a media brand who happens to sell drinks – I think that’s pretty cool and it’s a success story that surprisingly few marketers seem to be trying to replicate. I also like Strava – I mean, talk about community building and they’ve nailed it.