David Shearer Appointed as New IPA Scotland Chair

MediaCom Edinburgh’s managing director, David Shearer has been named as the new IPA Chair for Scotland, a position he will formally take on in April when he announces his two-year agenda for the industry.

As IPA Chair for Scotland, David will represent the collective needs and interests of IPA member agencies in Scotland on the IPA Council. and work closely with fellow IPA Chairs Michelle Wright (England & Wales) and Valerie Ludlow (Northern Ireland) to help position agencies across the UK to successfully rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. David will also work with IPA President-elect Julian Douglas on wider industry issues and promoting IPA initiatives in Scotland.

Commenting on the appointment, Patrick Mills, director of membership and professional development, IPA said: “I’m delighted that David has agreed to become the new IPA Chair for Scotland. With the economy in a state of flux, I am excited about David’s vision to help us recover, rebuild and reinvigorate our industry and look forward to working with him to enact his agenda.”

Says David Shearer, managing director, MediaCom Edinburgh: “I have worked in advertising for over 30 years now so this industry has allowed me a long career I have thoroughly enjoyed. I would like that to be the case for the generations of people entering advertising recently, now and in the future.

"However, this is a critical time for the Scottish advertising industry with fewer and fewer people working in it; public trust in what we do is at an all-time low as well as the enormous economic challenges created by the Coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot to do. Regardless, I’m looking forward to working with all of my IPA colleagues to develop an agenda aimed at helping let the industry in Scotland flourish.”

David succeeds Guy Vickerstaff who served in the role from 2019 to 2020.

After university, David started his advertising career in London before fulfilling a variety of roles at various media agencies throughout his now 33 years working in media. He joined MediaCom Edinburgh just over 20 years ago as their fourth employee and has been Managing Director for the last 11 years. In his time at MediaCom, David has worked closely with the likes of RBS, Standard Life, Scottish Government, VisitScotland and ScotRail.

He’s still involved across MediaCom Edinburgh’s current client portfolio such as Subway, Trivago, Visit Norway, Tesco Bank & Scottish Widows.

During these years, David held roles in virtually every aspect of the media business from leading strategy for brands spending tens of millions to buying niche titles for businesses spending tens of thousands. He has also co-ordinated multi-territory activities for Global and European clients.

David is married with two adult daughters and a German Shepherd called Teddy. Walking Teddy, reading fiction and watching sport are key lockdown pastimes. When not in lockdown, going to live gigs and playing football are first on the wishlist.