David Pattison

David started his career in 1974 in the media department of the advertising agency Masius, Wynne-Williams and D'arcy McManus (Now DMB+B). His main focus was the television buying discipline until 1983 (via DDB, Grey and TBWA). In 1983 he joined John Ayling + Associates, an independent media company, working across all disciplines and in 1985 with his partner, Jonathan Durden, moved to the role of Joint Media Director at advertising agency WCRS.

In 1990, with Jonathan Durden and Nick Horswell they set up Pattison Horswell Durden (PHD), a media independent company with no billing or income. In six years the business grew to £100 million in turnover placing it comfortably within the top 20.

In 1996 PHD was bought by Abbott Mead Vickers Plc, the largest UK based marketing services group. The merged media organisations formed a top 5 media specialist.

At the end of 1997 David was appointed Chief Executive of the PHD group of companies. PHD was voted media agency of year in both 1998 and1999 by the media industry.

In the year 2001 David was invited by Omnicom to become Chief Executive of PHD Network, charged with building a global network of companies based on the PHD model.

He has spent the last 2 years living in New York building business with a turnover in excess of $4 billion in the USA.

David was President of the IPA from 2005 to 2007. The first person from the media sector to take on the role.

Having left PHD at the end of 2006, in April 2007 David joined specialist digital agency i-level, as CEO.

David enjoys watching and taking part in most sports and regularly plays Rugby and Squash. His great passions are cars, motor bikes and, with advancing years, fishing.