Ian McAteer

After over 40 years in advertising and marketing, in both London and Scotland, I stepped back from full-time agency life in May 2025, having led The Union for almost three decades and transitioned the business into employee ownership via an Employee Ownership Trust.

My journey began as a barrister, but a chance meeting with an old university pal at J. Walter Thompson opened the door to advertising. (My father’s career in journalism may also have played a part.) With a bit of luck, I landed a trainee role at Saatchi & Saatchi London, where I spent eight formative years working on major brands like British Airways, Avis and Campbell’s. It was an unmatched grounding in advertising, strategy and brand building.

Returning to Scotland in 1992, I joined Faulds Advertising and helped it triple in size over three years. In 1996, I co-founded The Union with three partners. From four people in a dark basement room with just one phone and no computers, we grew to 85 staff, winning national clients and delivering award-winning campaigns. The Union was proud to be named Scotland’s Agency of the Year five times.

In May 2025, alongside my co-founders and our senior team, I helped transition the business into employee ownership. Telling 80+ Unionites that the company was now theirs remains one of the proudest moments of my life.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve been a shareholder in eight start-ups, involved in four business closures (with no creditors left out of pocket), trustee of five charities, chair of seven businesses, director of ten companies, and a mentor to at least 11 people. (Five young marketers, three charity CEOs and three entrepreneurs.) I’ve advised on two Scottish elections, worked on 120+ brands, and authored 15+ Marketing Star Awards entries. I was named Scotland’s Agency Leader of the Year in 2011, and proud that The Union turned a profit in 27 of my 29 years at the helm. But above all, I've been lucky to work with over 700 Union colleagues, and hundreds of great clients, and had one bloody good time.

Now semi-retired, I remain passionate about helping organisations improve their business and marketing performance. I still feel I have something useful to offer; particularly where I can bring clarity, creativity and a sense of perspective. If asked, I will continue to offer consultancy selectively, working with leaders and teams to sharpen strategy and unlock growth.

That said, I also plan to travel more; and I have plenty of long-overdue personal projects to be getting on with.