Advisory Board interview with David Haggerty

Briefly tell us a little about yourself and what your role involves as Co-Founder of ALT

I'm a Strategic Planner who has worked in the marketing industry for almost 20 years. I started out as a Comms Planner at Feather Brooksbank which became Carat where I progressed to Strategy Director and was part of the Dentsu Scotland Board by the time I left in 2014.

Looking to add a new string to my bow I left Carat to set up the strategy function at Dog Digital before founding ALT in 2018. I lead the overarching business strategy for our business at ALT but despite being 5 years in and with an 18-strong team around me, I'm still very hands on with clients; developing campaign strategies and activation platforms and keeping myself close to the detail on everything we do.

What’s your golden rule - at work and in life?

I have a couple of simple thoughts that I try to stay true to. 1. It's nice to be nice. 2. Do good work and the rest will follow.

What motivated you to join The Marketing Society Scotland Advisory Board?

To share my thoughts and experiences in the hope that as a community we preserve the fundamental marketing principles of the past but remain progressive and innovative in our approach to planning and creativity.

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The decreasing value placed on creativity and long term thinking over short term performance focussed metrics.

Which leader do you admire most and why?

I think to admire someone you need to know the person rather than just watching their achievements from afar. So to answer this I need to stay closer to home. Gill Jarvie (now of RoM) had a big influence on my early career and continues to be a great leader in our industry. Kayleigh Grieve who was a colleague at Dog and now a high flying client at UEFA is full of drive and creativity.

And although it might sound a little cheesy, my Co-Founder (and wife) Laura Haggerty; her CV speaks for itself but her willingness over the years to tackle new things, her passion, compassion and relentless pursuit to make us the best agency to work with inspires me every day.

Why is being part of the Marketing Society important for your career?

I consider it an opportunity to genuinely give something back to the industry that I have worked in for so many years and hope that my skills and experience can help create better practices and innovation within the marketing community.

What would be your one piece of advice to those just starting out in your industry?

Have confidence in yourself. It's ok to make mistakes. And back yourself and your own ideas!

Tell us something that isn't on your CV.

I've spent the last 10 years renovating houses and I'm a semi-professional level IKEA-Hacker. I worked as a camera assistant at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Edinburgh 2003. My dad used to be a chef and once cooked for a table that included the random combination of Bruce Grobbelaar and Helen Worth (Gail Platt off of Corrie).