EDITOR INTERVIEW
In conversation with...
Where/when were you born & a bit about family, and can you tell us something about your early years? I was born in Ipswich when both my parents were in the RAF. My father was a ground crew electrical engineer, and my mother worked in administration. Not long after my arrival, we moved to Melton Mowbray, and then later, to Kent. A typical boy growing up in the 70s and 80s, I loved being outside, riding my BMX and playing football. I also played chess to a high standard, including taking part in trials for the England national squad.
What did you want to be growing up? Lots of different things. A fighter pilot. A professional footballer. An internationally renowned chess player. But it wasn’t something I really thought about at the time. I was busy getting on with life.
Education – where did you go, what subjects did you choose and why? I was part of the first year group to take the new GCSE examinations and attended grammar school in Kent. I went on to do A-Levels in English Literature, Economics and Sociology.
What was your path to higher education? After A-Levels, I took a year out to earn some money and then went to the University of Southampton to study Philosophy and Politics. From about halfway through GCSEs, I discovered a passion for philosophy, and I was always interested in politics too. I liked the thought processes, the basis in logic and the challenge of thinking and communicating clearly.
First job – where and when, what did you like about it and what did you not? My first proper job after graduating was as a graphics co-ordinator at a pop-up stand company and involved driving the Managing Director in and home every day. It was a slightly strange combination, but I did get to drive a flashy car from an early age, which was fun.
60 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
David McLean, Chief Marketing Officer at Duckhams
How has career mapping led to where you are now?
I began my FMCG career working for KP, which was owned by United Biscuits at the time. I moved into their Frozen Foods division, which included bringing Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potatoes to market! Then Heinz acquired the business, and we relocated from Norfolk to Beaconsfield, where I headed up the trade marketing function for a couple of categories. Over the years, I have worked in a variety of account management, category management, insight and trade marketing roles.
After Heinz, I moved to Camelot, where I managed the company’s relationship with Asda. I was part of the team that rolled out the new lottery network across Asda’s UK business, which was worth about £200 million - a mind-blowing amount of value to manage in a sales role. I dipped my toe in consultancy for a year and then joined Britvic as Category Manager, responsible for the Sainsbury’s business. I also looked after Insight and delivered the double concentrate initiative for Robinsons, which proved a game-changer for the entire squash category.
My career in lubricants began in 2011, when I joined Castrol as a Retail Key Account Manager. Over 10 years at Castrol, I held various Insight and account management roles, including managing the global relationship with Triumph. As a keen biker from an early age, it was a dream to work with Triumph on joint engine development programmes, right through to product development and end output across their global network. I was lucky enough to attend several World Superbike and MotoGP events, meet various riders, and enjoy driving events with clients, which were great fun.
After leaving Castrol, I consulted for a few years, working with major brands like Miele on insight and market research projects, as well as helping start-up businesses understand their marketing and sales strategies. Then I was approached about the
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