10 minutes with David Webster, Chair, PROMOTA

Continuing our series of Q&As with influential individuals involved in various facets of the promotions industry; this month we focus on David Webster, Chair, PROMOTA.

PROMOTA is an established trade association which represents manufacturers, importers and distributors in the promotional merchandise industry. After months of discussions with the bpma, PROMOTA members finally voted not to merge, but to stay independent and in May this year, David took over the Chair.

He is also MD of Designs On U, a supplier of promotional clothing, staffwear, sportswear and promotional gifts.

Q. How long have you been involved in the industry?

A. 10 years this August.

Q. How did you become involved?  

A. I bought shares in a company.

Q. What has changed about the industry since you joined? 

A. Online trading and a website presence has become fundamental to business.

Q  What further changes would you like to see? 

A. Reduction in unsolicited junk emails and telephone calls.

Q. What do you like most about the industry?

A. The challenging environment and the variety of the work.

Q. Any particular dislikes? 

A. Companies wanting to purchase the cheapest product to promote their corporate image when they talk about quality in their business.

Q. Promo e-News is a website devoted to promotional merchandise, so tell us what’s the favourite piece of merchandise you have on your desk/or that you have recently seen? 

A. An encrypted USB flash drive – very clever and useful.

Q.  What’s the worst example of promotional merchandise you’ve seen?

A. A golf divot tool that bent and snapped the first time I used it.

Q. If you weren’t in the SP industry, what would like to be doing?

A. I would be in the corporate sector.

Q. Who do you admire/respect most in the public eye? 

A. Richard Branson. 

Q. … and why? –

A. He is an entrepreneur with vision and a unique ability to create the right environment for success.

Q. If you were to have a dinner party, who would you invite to chew over the current financial situation or simply to amuse you?

A. Peter Jones (Dragons Den),  Josephine Esther Mentzer (Estee Lauder), Edmund Hillary (explorer) and Phil Knight (founder of Nike).

Q. What’s your typical office day?

A. Up at 8 am, sort emails, do quotes and replies, plan day, work off priorities, finish at 7pm, work on non essentials until 1 or 2 am. 

Q. What do you like to do to relax? 

A. Play golf, it is very involving and takes my mind off everything.

Q. Tell me something about you that nobody in the industry knows?

A. I used to play the guitar and keyboards in a band.

Q. Any other comments you would care to make.

A. I would love to see our country becoming great at something!

 

Carole Bull

Editor

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