David Walsh , Bookham, United Kingdom

First up I'm 74 but not interested in retirement. I have 50 years experience in advertising, across the spectrum of disciplines - media selling and buying, account handling, marketing communications, business management.



My field was mainly out-of-home media but with some years working in advertising agencies. My roles have always involved face-to-face relationships with advertising decision makers at all levels within agencies and client companies. Working in the heyday of out-of-home, my key accounts included the likes of Unilever, Guinness, Rowntree, Mackintosh and NatWest Bank.



In 1989 I gained venture capital investment of £750,000 to start up my own out-of-home advertising company. Unfortunately the recession of 1991 plus serious health problems put paid to my venture and the assets were sold on.



I then spent several years freelancing as copywriter and account handler for local agencies in Surrey, before becoming Sales and Marketing Director of In Situ Media. We specialised in placing advertising and promotional campaigns in the UK's largest sports and leisure centres. Amongst many hundreds over the years, our biggest clients were Unilever and the COI.



I became Deputy Managing Director in 2012, then Managing Director, finally retiring from the business at the end of 2016.



I decided recently to give up retirement and, being still healthy and of sound mind, I would like to get back to helping companies solve their problems, mainly in the field of marketing communications.



I'm happy to be involved at the early stages of planning, play a part in strategy, briefing etc. Very OK to go in front of people and present concepts, plans, research, whatever. I've been doing that all my working life. However my age might be against me in the youthful worlds of media and advertising.



Where my age will be an advantage is in communications with audiences 50+. We're the ones with the money after all! While we invented the word 'cool' many years ago, any mention of 'hip' just means pain and more pain! I think the daytime television ads, indeed most of the comms directed at my age group are appalling, absolute rubbish... Every one of them makes you think you've got one foot in the grave! We know what's coming, just don't remind us!