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Even the hardest working business people, those who prefer overtime to play time, can benefit from a meeting with David Pallash.

To give him his full title, David is senior manager of global programs and partnerships at Lego. Drill down into his job spec and he’s also responsible for bringing the joy of playing to children in some of the world’s most underprivileged communities.

He introduced his role to ���˿��� Bitesize by saying: “A lot of people don’t believe play is important, they think it’s something you just do when you’ve finished all the important stuff.

“We try to get across that play is uber important, it’s the way we learn, it’s the way we interact with the world, it’s the way we explore. We go around the world trying to remind adults, more than children really.”

A passion for people and places

The story of David’s career journey is a little like a construction model. Before seeing the finished product, we have to start with the foundation bricks.

“My A-levels were biology, geography, maths and art,” David said. “My art teacher kept telling me to do it as a fourth A-level. It wasn’t that common back then, so I kept it on and I’m glad I did. I used the science to go into environmental science at university. I’ve always been passionate about the planet.”

Following his studies, David spent time in Japan in order to learn the language. “It was an incredible experience,” he remembered. “I went into teacher training for a year, and ended up teaching science, art and music to very small children.”

He decided to train as a teacher, which led to an appointment as headteacher at a school for international expats. A master’s in business administration then led to his current role.

In the days before lockdown, David was a regular sight at schools and also office training days, showing up with a ready supply of plastic bricks to help people of all ages discover a little more about themselves and the world around them.

He explained: “We would give them a baseplate, a couple of random bricks and we would say, ‘OK, let’s start with a simple one. Build your perfect colleague.’

“Then they would maybe build someone with big arms to welcome and nurture, they might use a ladder to provide support or build a bridge. It could be people with eyes all over their head, looking out for people. People tend to build these and then build a story around it. It’s a healthy exercise for the brain.”

He added: “My favourite was when someone got a figure and they had it in almost a Matrix-style position and I asked ‘What’s that?’ They replied, ‘A friend that will bend over backwards for you.’ That’s one of my favourites. That was so simple!”

Never too old to play

Although it can be challenging to persuade professionals who haven’t played with toys for more than 20 or 30 years to roll up their sleeves and start clicking bricks together, David found that most people can eventually be encouraged to do so: “You always hear ‘I’m not creative, I haven’t played with bricks in a long time’, but as soon as they start putting bricks together, it’s realising you don’t have to build a masterpiece, just let your creativity flow, it’s OK.”

Building for the future

The work David does with children is different. Prior to the pandemic, he - or people representing his team - were travelling to meet young people all over the world on a regular basis.

During the sessions, the children discuss a topic such as renewable energy which then informs the objects they build.

And the ideas that evolve through play can be memorable. David smiled. “We end up with some very serious things, wind turbines going to the next level, even fart-powered trouser lights. After all, it’s something we all need.”

The children’s creations are then put on display, so that stakeholders in the different countries can take a look at the ideas if they wish to. The aim is for the ideas that children conceive be taken to global platforms such as climate change conferences.

David said: “I love just getting an energy up amongst kids on subjects that matter. It’s a real treat seeing their ideas. You do see that we’re making an impact.

“Working in a job that has a meaning is a real treat and it’s not always possible but you can find those roles, they are out there.”