The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Advertising chief Charlie Robertson, 64
Charlie Robertson, a pioneering Scottish advertising executive, has died suddenly aged 64.
Among the most celebrated in his industry, Robertson founded the “virtual planning” consultancy network Red Spider.
He started out as a civil engineer before moving into advertising and worked with firms including Boase Massimi Pollitt, the Leith Agency and BBH during his three-decade career.
He suffered a heart attack last week, shortly after moving back to his home city of Glasgow from London.
His former boss at the Leith Agency, John Denholm, paid tribute to Robertson.
He said: “What I remember most from our time at Leith was Charlie’s sheer panache.
“We were starting to land big, national accounts and had to pretend not to be a little scared of the big names we were suddenly dealing with.
“Charlie strode up from London with his big agency experience and Glasgow swagger and took on even the toughest, most confident clients with his humour, confidence and sharp intelligence.
“He was confident but never arrogant and one of the friendliest, supportive, most down to earth guys in a business where there will be many people feeling a big loss today.”
Robertson worked with clients such as Lego, BBC, Unilever, P&G and Heineken through Red Spider, which also has a presence in Asia, the Nordics and Baltics, as well as the UK.
He was an executive in residence at the University of Oregon’s school of advertising and journalism.
He was also an honorary member of the
Account Planning Group.
Another former colleague, Merry Baskin, called Robertson “a wonderful boss, mentor, provocateur, partner, pioneer, entrepreneur, strategist, tutor, trainer and leader”.
He is survived by his grown-up children, Chloe, Croy and Leo. His wife, Theresa, died in 2011.