JOHN Donnelly has spent his career in marketing after graduating with an honours degree on the subject from the University of Strathclyde.

Early spells at BT and Lloyds Bowmaker, where he worked on Mercedes and Audi, were followed by his first agency appointment with KLP, for which he helped launch T in the Park in 1994.

Mr Donnelly then rose to hold managing director roles in Edinburgh and London with The Marketing Store and BD Network, working on major brands such as Coca-Cola, Peugeot, Carling and Bacardi-Martini.

Following a spell in London with iris Worldwide, he returned to Scotland to become commercial director at Glasgow 2014, a role he held for three and a half years. He then set up his own agency, before being headhunted for the chief executive’s post with Marketing Edinburgh in 2013.

Mr Donnelly is married with three children.