May Day celebration and debate for new advertising chief

A RECEPTION marking the inauguration of a new chair of the Scottish branch of advertising trade body, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, is to double up as a ‘Question Time’-style debate on establishing best practice within the industry.

Guy Robertson is to be unveiled as the new chair of the Scottish branch of the IPA on May 1, taking over from Phil Adams, of The Leith Agency.

Robertson is managing partner of Glasgow-based GRP, and he will be supported in his work for the IPA, by deputy, Brian Crook, chief executive of The Bridge.

Attending the reception – in Edinburgh – will be president-elect of the IPA, Moray MacLennan, European chair of M&C Saatchi.

The ‘Question Time’ session will be on ‘Magic and Logic’, an industry-wide document seeking to identify how the three parties usually involved in the advertising process – agencies, client and procurement – can best work well together to produce profitable growth for all.

Hamish Pringle, IPA director-general, will be chairing the debate and panellists will include representatives from the agency world (Ian Wright, managing director, Family), the client (Darren Nightingale, head of marketing, Standard Life Investments) and procurement (Richard Patrick, category manager, marketing and promotions, Abbey).

For more information, telephone Sara Robertson, IPA, on 0131 467 7821 or email sara@ipa.co.uk.