Breakfast Meeting at the Heronston Hotel

Having recently joined Rotary Bridgend, Brian gave us a wonderful insight into his working life in newspaper advertising.

Born in Ely, Brian met his wife Joan in Bridgend in 1967. They married three years later and have just celebrated 54 years of marriage.

Shortly after Brian joined the Glamorgan Gazette as an advertising salesman, progressing over the next 15 years to area manager looking after several local papers in the Celtic Press group.

Brian then joined the Western Mail in Swansea, spending 15 years there managing offices across Wales and covering both classified and display advertising, including to various businesses, agricultural organisations and education. This involved creating platforms for business to promote themselves. By this time Brian was managing a group of 8 field sales reps, 10 telesales personnel and two administrators.

Brian’s next move was to Cardiff, looking after the whole of Wales, engaging the top 300 companies and their supply industries a to drive revenue production. The Western Mail would also go to foreign embassies and decision makers outside of Wales.

After 34 years in print advertising Brian took redundancy and did some work with Cardiff Chamber of Commerce and the Argus in Newport. For 5 years he worked on elections, ensuring the electoral register was up to date, polling stations were ready, and ensuring security of postal votes.

Brian has long been a member of Bridgend Tennis Club and has looked after the bowling green for the past 11 years. He has also done charity work, including dressing as a teddy bear on a hospital children’s ward at Christmas!

Acting President Mike thanks Brian for his excellent and amusing talk, commenting on how Brian had already thrown himself into Rotary Bridgend helping with various activities. We welcome Brian and hope he enjoys his time with Rotary Bridgend.