Disclosure: Shaun Anderson‘s (B.1973) Art Portfolio. This is a personal project. I used Gemini Pro 2.5 to review this portfolio of letters. This is a document of my career before I focused online. See our AI policy. After my early introduction to marketing through my initial work with Crolla, Vision Design, The Inshops Handy Leaflet, and Tesco, I joined Adpartners Advertising agency in Glasgow in 1999. This was more out of necessity. I was a single parent, and despite my talents, or because of them, I was a single dad for the first time – (watching my son every weekend until his late teens).
1999
The professional journey of Shaun Anderson at the advertising agency Adpartners Glasgow commenced not through conventional channels, but via a series of interactions that underscored a company culture receptive to personality and initiative.
This initial engagement, occurring in late 1999, established a foundational relationship that would prove resilient and adaptable, ultimately enabling a significant pivot in both Mr. Anderson’s career and the agency’s business strategy.
The process began with Mr. Anderson dispatching his curriculum vitae by postal mail on November 5, 1999, following up on a letter he had sent to Personnel Partners, a subsidiary of Adpartners, on November 2, 1999.
The response he received from Norman Lawson of Adpartners was telling. Dated November 5, 1999, the letter moved beyond standard professional pleasantries, offering a unique and humorous justification for an interview. Mr. Lawson wrote: “Your letter was very interesting and, since you are 6’5″ tall and are a Thai Kick Boxer, we cannot risk not seeing you!”.
This statement, while lighthearted, provides a critical window into the agency’s ethos. It suggests a leadership that valued memorable character traits and a degree of tenacity, looking beyond the confines of a résumé to assess the potential of an individual.
At the time, Mr. Anderson’s ambition was to secure a role as an “account planner,” a position for which he was indeed considered and offered by Adpartners.
He was concurrently evaluating an offer for a “Senior Planner” position from a competing firm, “The Glasgow Agency”.
His ultimate decision to join Adpartners was not based on title or hierarchy, but on a qualitative assessment of the work environment. He later reflected on this choice, stating,
“But I liked the family element of Adparters, with 3 (sometimes 4) of the William Muir family working there all at different levels of authority”. This preference for a close-knit, family-oriented culture over a potentially more prestigious title at another firm demonstrates that the cultural fit was the decisive factor in his employment decision.
This cultural alignment was immediately put to the test during a four-week trial period. Mr. Anderson was assigned to a high-stakes project: developing a comprehensive advertising campaign proposal for the NHS concerning an HIV awareness message, under Tender No. HP/T/1999/006.
The agency’s methodology involved producing significant creative work upfront to secure the larger account. Guided by the strategic counsel of Simon Muir, who advised that the campaign “needs to work across mediums,” Mr. Anderson conceived and submitted the slogan: “Make sure the bus is all you catch”.
This early contribution showcased his capacity for strategic and creative thinking, proving his potential extended far beyond any single job title. The initial hiring process, therefore, was not merely a transactional filling of a vacancy but the establishment of a relationship based on mutual appreciation for character and a shared cultural understanding.
This foundation would become instrumental years later, when the agency’s leadership was faced with a critical decision regarding Mr. Anderson’s future.
The Studio Years (2000-2001)
Following his successful trial period, Shaun Anderson’s formal integration into Adpartners was characterised by a pragmatic and strategic shift in his role.
Rather than pursuing the creative planning position he initially desired, he astutely aligned his immediate function with the agency’s prevailing business model, a decision that demonstrated both self-awareness and a long-term strategic perspective.
This period represents a crucial phase of embedding himself within the company culture while simultaneously highlighting the tension between the agency’s traditional operations and its nascent digital future.
Mr. Anderson recognised that Adpartners, at that time, functioned primarily as an “old school media buying agency,” where opportunities for the kind of conceptual creative work he enjoyed, such as the NHS pitch, were infrequent.
Faced with this reality, he proactively steered his career path within the agency. He recalls, “I told them I was actually an artist of sorts, and I could work those macs in the studio”. This was a conscious choice, a self-directed move into a technical role where there was consistent, billable work. He reflected on this with clarity: “I had demoted myself from creative to DTP operator”.
This “demotion” was not an admission of failure but a calculated manoeuvre to secure a foothold in an organisation whose culture he valued, sacrificing the ideal role for a practical one. Professional-level studio skills using Quark Express, Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Useful insight into how a design studio was run was gained with the interplay of designers, managers and directors on full display.
The agency’s management, in turn, recognised the multifaceted potential in their new hire. The formal job offer, detailed in a private and confidential letter dated January 6, 2000, formalised his position while acknowledging his broader capabilities. The letter stated, “The primary function of the job on offer, initially, is as a Mac Operator based in the Studio on a full-time basis”.1 However, it immediately followed with a crucial addendum:
“However, we do feel you have creative abilities which we would like to help you develop, alongside the Mac Operator function, where and when the appropriate opportunities arise”. This dual perspective is central to understanding his tenure; Adpartners hired him for a present, technical need while explicitly noting their intent to invest in his future creative development. The letter concluded with an optimistic outlook:
“We do feel you have the potential to do well in advertising, and we would like to see you develop into an asset as part of the young team we are in the process of building, at Adpartners”.
His employment contract confirmed his official start date as January 24, 2000, with the title “DTP Operator” and a starting salary of £15,000 per annum, supplemented by overtime pay at a rate of £12 per hour.
In this capacity, Mr. Anderson was immersed in the core of the agency’s revenue-generating activities: print advertising production.
His portfolio from this era includes a wide range of clients typical of a regional agency, such as the car dealerships Bickets and Bell Cars, the Volvo dealer Gaulds of Glasgow, and major property developers like Morrison Homes and Barratt.
A contact report for the client Leather For Less, dated November 23, 1999, confirms his participation in client-facing meetings even during his initial trial, indicating an early level of trust and integration.
This period, therefore, represents a pragmatic alignment of Mr. Anderson’s personal strategy with the agency’s business reality.
He secured his position by serving the agency’s immediate print-based needs, while the agency’s leadership wisely kept his broader creative and strategic potential in reserve.
(October 2001)
In October 2001, an external business shock precipitated a crisis that, paradoxically, became the single most important catalyst in Shaun Anderson’s career at Adpartners.
His redundancy was not an endpoint but a pivotal moment of transformation that forced both him and the agency to confront a strategic imperative, ultimately unlocking his entrepreneurial potential and setting the firm on a new, digitally-focused path.
The event was sudden and driven by market forces beyond his control. As Mr. Anderson noted, he was made redundant “when they lost the biggest Agency client”.
A formal letter from the Company Secretary, dated October 12, 2001, confirmed the termination of his employment.
It stated that the agency had to “make drastic cost savings” and enclosed a cheque for £1,230.76, representing four weeks’ pay in lieu of notice.
The letter also clarified that no statutory redundancy payment was due, as he had not yet completed the requisite two years of service.1
On paper, his time at Adpartners was over.
However, the sentiment within the agency’s leadership told a different story.
A remarkable letter of recommendation authored by the Chairman & Managing Director, Bill Muir, just one week later on October 19, 2001, reveals a deep sense of regret and a profound appreciation for Mr. Anderson’s unique value.
Mr. Muir began by praising the qualities he saw from the very beginning: “When Shaun first came to see us around 2 years ago… we were impressed not only with his ability to spot an opportunity, but also the inventive thinking and necessary drive to see it through”.
He affirmed that Mr. Anderson had excelled in his studio role and had also become the de facto IT expert for the office.
Crucially, the letter articulated the profound irony of the situation.
Mr. Muir wrote: “The irony was that we were making inroads into the website design and production sector and Shaun was the agency expert in this field, regularly interfacing with clients on the subject”.
This single sentence exposes the strategic dissonance the agency faced: in a moment of financial crisis, they were forced to make redundant the very individual who held the key to a vital and emerging revenue stream.
The letter was less a standard reference and more an acknowledgement of a strategic misstep dictated by financial necessity.
Mr. Anderson’s response to this crisis was nothing short of extraordinary.
Rather than accepting his fate, he saw the opportunity latent within the agency’s predicament.
His reflection on the event is telling in its swiftness and ambition: “I had an idea to build websites so I was back the next day after redundancy with my own office, making websites for clients of the agency, and if I could pull it off, on double the pay – which was nice an unexpected turn of events after redundancy the day before”.
He transformed a moment of personal and professional crisis into a negotiation, leveraging the agency’s acknowledged need for his expertise into a new, vastly improved professional arrangement.
Bill Muir’s letter confirms the agency’s desire to retain him, stating, “It is our intention to use Shaun in a freelance capacity on specialist projects until he finds full-time employment”.
The redundancy, therefore, acted as a powerful catalyst.
It shattered the existing employment structure and forced a resolution to the long-standing tension between Mr. Anderson’s technical role and his strategic potential.
It compelled the agency’s leadership to formally recognise and invest in web development, a field they were only just beginning to explore. In returning the very next day with a business proposal, Mr. Anderson demonstrated immense resilience and entrepreneurial acumen, effectively turning the agency’s crisis into his career-defining opportunity.
(2001-2006)
The venture that emerged from the ashes of Shaun Anderson’s redundancy was not an informal freelance arrangement but a formally structured, strategic business unit named ‘adpartners.web’.
Its creation in 2001 marked a definitive pivot in the agency’s service offering and cemented Mr. Anderson’s transition from a technical operator to a strategic business leader and intrapreneur.
The department’s clear mission, operational plan, and targeted market strategy demonstrate a sophisticated approach to building a new digital capability from within a traditional agency framework.
The foundation of this new department was a detailed business plan that outlined roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures, indicating a serious, long-term commitment from the agency’s leadership.
Key tenets of the plan stipulated that Shaun Anderson would “head up the department, it’s direction, day to day running”.1 He would work in a close partnership with Bill’s son, account director Simon Muir, who would serve as the primary “account handler,” bridging the new digital services with the agency’s existing client relationships.
The plan also included a clear growth trajectory, envisioning that as the department expanded, Mr. Anderson would “move into WS NB generation,” transitioning from production to a business development role.
This structure was fully integrated into the wider agency, with formal reporting lines to the Chairman, Bill Muir, and established protocols for liaising with the creative studio and the finance department.
The mission of ‘adpartners.web’, born in 2001, was to provide “a complete and comprehensive web-marketing solution for your organisation”.
This was not merely about building websites; it was a holistic digital offering. The division’s value proposition was built on several key pillars: integrated and accessible website design, 24/7 hosting and domain management, expert organic search engine optimisation (SEO), intelligent pay-per-click (PPC) advertising management, and a commitment to “transparent and understandable client communication”.
This comprehensive service menu positioned the department to meet the increasingly complex digital needs of clients, moving far beyond simple web design.
An analysis of the projects undertaken by ‘adpartners.web’ reveals a highly strategic market focus.
The client portfolio became heavily weighted towards public sector bodies and educational institutions, such as the NHS, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, and numerous colleges.
This was not accidental. These clients operate in a procurement environment governed by competitive tenders and stringent technical requirements. The project descriptions are replete with language emphasising compliance and technical excellence, such as creating “AAA-rated” websites, adhering to “W3C HTML & CSS International standards,” and implementing “UK Government Access Keys”.
This focus demonstrates a deliberate strategy to capture a high-value market niche that the agency’s traditional creative services were unequipped to address. ‘adpartners.web’ was therefore a strategic diversification, leveraging Mr. Anderson’s specialised technical expertise to open up a new and lucrative revenue stream for the agency.
Key Projects and Clients
The success of the ‘adpartners.web’ division under Shaun Anderson’s leadership is best illustrated by the breadth, complexity, and impact of the projects it delivered between 2001 and 2006.
The portfolio demonstrates a clear competency in winning and executing complex web development projects, particularly for public sector and educational clients who demanded a high degree of technical compliance, accessibility, and measurable results.
The following table consolidates information from across the source document to provide a structured overview of these key engagements, showcasing the department’s capabilities and strategic focus.1
| Client | Appointment / Year | Project Scope & Key Details | Noted Achievements & Outcomes |
| North Glasgow College | 2004, appointed by tender | Develop and launch a new website based on the prospectus designs. Deployed an inexpensive local Content Management System (CMS) to allow for client updates. | Launched within 12 weeks with an AAA accessibility rating. Raised the site’s Google PageRank to 6 within 3 months. The college reported a “dramatically” increased number of online applications. The project won the 2006 SFEMA Gold Award. 1 |
| Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) | 2005, appointed by tender | Design, develop, and launch a new website from scratch in collaboration with the client’s external IT support. Created templates for integration with their existing CMS. | The new site was launched in “a couple of months” and achieved a 2005 AAA rating. The project successfully secured high search engine rankings in Google and Yahoo. 1 |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | Jan 2005, appointed by tender | Worked with the University Marketing Team to launch a new, large-scale site of over 1,000 pages. The work involved creating templates, inserting content, and integrating complex navigation. | Successfully launched the new university website. The strong performance and collaborative relationship led to subsequent appointments for other ‘school’ website projects within the university. 1 |
| NHS Lanarkshire Sexual Health | Appointed by tender (part of steering group since 2001) | Designed, constructed, and launched a 500-page website entirely in-house. Engaged in ongoing development and evolution as part of a client steering group. | Adpartners was re-appointed to continue evolving the site. A new, advanced CSS-based website was planned to ensure “above AAA compliance” and high search engine positioning. 1 |
| Cardonald College | Appointed by tender | Developed a series of AAA-compliant HTML & CSS templates for the college to integrate with their own ASP/VBScript-based CMS. | Templates were search engine optimized, validated to W3C international standards, and included UK Government Access Keys. The project was completed efficiently within a one-month timescale. 1 |
| Cumbernauld College | April 2005, appointed by tender | Developed and prepared for launch a new website of approximately 200 pages. Deployed and administered an inexpensive CMS for the college. | The website template was fully compliant with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) and achieved a Bobby AAA accessibility rating. 1 |
| New Leaf Finance | Since 2003 | Managed the client’s entire internet marketing portfolio, including SEO, affiliate marketing, and PPC advertising on Google and Yahoo. Also designed, maintained, and hosted all websites. | Provided a complete digital management solution. Developed a custom online application form and introduced a beta version of a virtual sales advisor to enhance functionality. 1 |
| St Andrews Ambulance Association | Appointed by tender for 2005/2006 | Commissioned to design, develop, launch, and host a new AAA-compliant website. A second phase was planned to develop and deploy a new e-commerce system with online payment facilities. | The website was designed to complement a new, integrated advertising campaign also being developed by Adpartners, showcasing a full-service capability. 1 |
This portfolio serves as a definitive record of the department’s impact.
The consistent success in winning competitive tenders, the focus on high-level technical compliance, and the delivery of measurable outcomes such as increased applications and high search rankings validate the strategic direction established by Mr. Anderson.
Crowning Achievement – The 2006 SFEMA Gold Award
The culmination of ‘adpartners.web’s’ strategic focus and technical execution was the reception of a prestigious industry award in 2006.
The project for North Glasgow College (orchestrated with NGC Marketing Manager Rose Fairly) was awarded the SFEMA (Scottish Further Education Marketing Awards) 2006 Gold Award, which was explicitly described as the “Top prize for best website”.
This award serves as the ultimate external validation of the department’s strategy, representing the pinnacle of its success and formalising its reputation as a best-in-class provider in the competitive education sector.
The objectives for the award-winning project perfectly encapsulated the niche strategy that the department had honed.
The brief was not simply to create an aesthetically pleasing website, but to build a highly functional digital asset. The core objectives were:
- To design and create “one of the most effective and efficient websites within the Further Education sector.”
- To offer the “highest standards in accessibility and full compliance with the UK Disability Discrimination Act.”
- To ensure the content was “search engine optimised so that it is ‘easy to find’ in the major search engines.”
- To deliver an “interactive online prospectus with a distinct and integrated look, common to all of the college’s marketing communications”.1
These objectives demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the client’s needs, blending technical compliance, marketing effectiveness (SEO), and brand consistency into a single, coherent strategy.
The credited development team for the project illustrates the successful integration of the new digital division within the broader agency structure.
The team comprised Simon Muir (Director of Creative Services), Alan Muir (Website Developer), Liz Aird (Senior Designer), Carole Dunlop (Financial & Administration Director), and, in a key leadership role, Shaun Anderson (Website Development, Content and Web – Marketing Manager).1
Mr. Anderson’s title is profoundly significant.
It represents the full arc of his evolution from a “DTP Operator” to a multifaceted manager responsible not just for development, but also for content strategy and online marketing.
It is the formal recognition of the strategic leadership position he had carved out for himself since his pivotal return to the agency in 2001.
Furthermore, the project’s financial details underscore the department’s efficiency.
The total cost for the award-winning website’s design and production was reported as a remarkably competitive £6,602.00, with an additional £150 for the Macromedia Contribute CMS.1
To deliver a top-prize-winning website at this price point indicates a mastery of process and a highly efficient delivery model, which would have been a significant competitive advantage in the public sector tender market.
The SFEMA Gold Award, therefore, is more than just an accolade; it is the capstone achievement that serves as irrefutable proof that the intrapreneurial venture born from crisis had not only succeeded but had set a new standard of excellence, validating Mr. Anderson’s vision and the agency’s strategic investment in its digital future.
Conclusion: Departure and a New Beginning (2006)
In 2006, the same year that his work earned the agency its highest digital accolade, Shaun Anderson concluded his tenure at Adpartners Glasgow.1
His departure was not the result of failure or dissatisfaction, but rather the logical and culminating step in a remarkable entrepreneurial journey.
Having successfully incubated a new business model, proven its viability and excellence, and completed his own transformation from technical operator to strategic leader, he was prepared to embark on a fully independent venture.
His reflection on this final chapter is characteristically proactive and forward-looking, devoid of any sentiment of ending and instead focused entirely on a new start. He states simply: “In 2006, I left the agency, told my friend Michael I had another idea and formed a company with my best friend, Michael Bonnar”.1
This statement encapsulates the entrepreneurial spirit that defined his career.
The seven-year period from 1999 to 2006 represents a complete and compelling narrative arc.
It began with an unconventional hiring that prioritised character, moved to a pragmatic role to gain a foothold, and was then revolutionised by a crisis that catalysed an intrapreneurial rebirth.
From that point, Mr. Anderson architected and led a new, award-winning digital division, fundamentally altering the agency’s capabilities and strategic direction. He did not leave Adpartners because his project had failed, but precisely because it had succeeded.
He had built a replicable model for a successful digital services business, honed his skills in a real-world environment with the backing of a supportive, if traditional, agency, and gained the confidence and track record necessary to launch his own independent company.
His time at Adpartners, therefore, served as the perfect incubator for the next phase of his career, leaving behind a legacy of transformation and a blueprint for how personal initiative can drive profound organisational change.
Note from Shaun: “I got my start in an advertising agency, after sending them on November 5 1999 my cv via postal mail. I remember sending ten letters out and getting 3 responses. I liked the idea of an account planner. I did get offered that role. But I liked the family element of Adparters, with 3 (sometimes 4) of the William Muir family working there, all at different levels of authority. During my 4-week trial, I got the chance ot work on a proposal to the NHS – an HIV message – and meet with Sterling Furniture, the agency’s top client at the time. WE had to come up with an advertising campaign to win the account. A kind of “do the work upfront” methodology to win the wider business. Simon Muir guided me with “It needs to work across mediums”. I submitted “Make sure the bus is all you catch”. I liked that kind of work, but that kind of work was not a daily occurrence. The agency’s model was mostly that of an old-school media buying agency, and these kinds of projects were not in abundance at the time – although MD C Murchie was turning that around with some success. I told them I was actually an artist of sorts. And I could work those Macs in the studio. I went to work in the studio with all the hip folk (I thought). I had demoted myself from creative to DTP operator. I got made redundant with others when they lost the biggest Agency client (which was nothing to do with us that lost our jobs). I remember Bill saying I took the redundancy very well. I said my goodbyes to the agency studio, and on the way out the door said to Simon Muir I had an idea to build websites – and he said I should come in and talk to his dad, so I was back the next day after redundancy with my own office, making websites for clients of the agency, and if I could pull it off, on double the pay, which was a nice and unexpected turn of events after redundancy the day before. This was the plan. We built tons of websites together over the years. I worked with Scott Muir, a senior designer and creative at Adpartners, on the North Glasgow Website, which we won the SFEMA 2006 Gold Award (Top prize for best website). In a private conversation with Bill, he told me the agency was suffering from previous business decisions, mergers, for instance, before my time in the agency. There were lingering business relationships from previous mergers that the agency was dealing with, and in the end, I think this was all leading to stress in the agency. I’m not 100% sure of the time, but Bill’s death shortly after certainly brought the curtain down on the 18-year-old agency. Bill’s MD at the time, Mr C Murchie, never saw quite eye to eye with me at the time – or with Bill, I hear. Mr Murchie and I were at different ends of the project spectrum. I understood why I frustrated him, but I did the job the way I wanted to do it. Quality took time, I surmised. I did learn 2 things from Mr Murchie, who had worked for a large Japanese company, about constant iteration and improvement (KAIZEN), and to write things down to get them out of your head (something I REALLY took to heart, evidently). Norman Lamont was the person I was told saw something in me, but Bill was my mentor, the guy I looked up to. I wanted to build something like him my family could visit, all the stuff I had seen in his office. Bill’s protege, his son Simon Muir, was my template for how I had to interact with upper management. He had won a Purple Apple marketing award for a shopping centre we were working on at the time. Senior designer Scott Muir (and Liz Aird, my studio manager) taught me design and why I was rubbish at it, but I got better over time with their guidance. I shared my office with Stephan, who taught me a LOT about selling – and a lot of other things too. Adparters director, Charlie McGill, was an immense support, too. So too was Carole, the company secretary. Charlie took me around to all his clients – we were all over the country. Bill apparently stepped down as director in 2004, but I remember him still being actively involved in the creative work right up until I left in 2006. I was good friends with Steven Wright, the production manager, and the epitome of a professional. Bill was still at the helm when I left, although I wasn’t entirely sure of the setup – I wasn’t a director, and I didn’t know the full story. I remember telling Bill I was a little worried about taking such a risk on a new technology, regarding SEO, within the agency, in case I brought down his agency! I also told him I had promised myself I would never run a business again. In the end, I told Bill I was going to take a risk on SEO, as I thought Google would be the biggest Ad agency in the world, and I told him my operational style was causing too much friction with another Director for me to continue. I promised Bill that I wouldn’t take Adpartners’ clients at the expense of the agency, only to complement Adpartners’ work with said clients, and I’d continue the association through my new company. I’d launch my new company servicing his clients. Bill patted me on the shoulder, told me to go for it and said, regarding my worries about bringing the agency down. “Don’t worry, I think we are doing a good job of that ourselves”. He showed me a letter he was handing to the director I had challenges with – effectively firing them. When I left the agency, I handed Adpartners.web to my right hand man in the agency, Alan Muir (Bill Muir’s youngest son and my partner in Adpartners.web) and told my friend Michael I had another idea (to focus on SEO) and formed a company taking the risk with my best friend, Michael Bonnar, who worked in the Royal Bank of Scotland at the time. That company was Hobo Web LTD. Scott Muir, Bill’s oldest son and one of Adpartners’ best creative designers, would help me design the first Hobo logo (which I used up until 2025 – replacing it with a variation of it created in 2012, by my own senior designer, Hobo, Rodger Patterson). Mr Murchie left to join GRP 2 months after I left. I would talk to Bill one more time shortly afterwards about poaching his son, Alan Muir, to Hobo as I built Hobohemia in Greenock. Bill told me in private that he advised his son Alan to join me. And so we were off. After Bill died in 2007, I was in the dark about how Adpartners operated from then on. Steven, Simon and Scott formed Wigwam soon after, and were soon incubating in the Hobo offices”