Meet today's guest editor: Ian McAteer, managing director of The Union
Ian McAteer, managing director of Scottish advertising agency, The Union, takes the reigns as today's guest online editor.
I’m the managing director of The Union, and Group Chairman of the Union Group of companies, operating from Edinburgh and Leeds. As I’m sure many readers will know I had a short and unremarkable career as a Barrister before joining Saatchi’s in London in the mid-80’s for possibly the best education in advertising and marketing anyone could hope for. I moved with my family to Scotland in 1992 and have spent a very happy 19 years here - I’ve never regretted it. Edinburgh is one of the best cities in the world and I feel very privileged to live here.
For the last 15 years I have been running The Union with my founding partners, and although we have had our fair share of ups and downs, we all feel privileged to work with such a talented and good team of people at The Union. This industry has enormous challenges - but I think sometimes we all forget how rewarding it is to work in a creative environment.
Those of you who know me will also know I am passionate about our industry - and especially the industry in Scotland. Sometimes I despair whether the enormous talent, enthusiasm and raw desire to succeed that resides in Scotland will ever be given the opportunity it so badly deserves. We have such a long way to go to convince major Scottish advertisers that the agencies nestled on their doorstep are equal, and in some cases better, than the big boys down in London. But that’s for another day...
For today, what can you expect? I hope you will enjoy my selections, and that I provide either some food for thought or some entertainment. Have a nice day.