Iain Walker
President
416.240.4135
“The creative aspects of what we do are invigorating, and I love the people I work with”
As a distributor for promotional products and services, there are a lot of moving pieces that make up the whole of SVS Marketing. These include warehouse workers, customer support staff, technical services, sales, management, and more. The job of holding everything together and ensuring that it all runs smoothly is a tall one. Fortunately, SVS has a strong leader in Iain Walker, the company’s president, who works hard to ensure that everything is running exactly as it should on a daily basis. As a leader, Iain constantly strives to coordinate, organize, and work with the many departments that make up SVS Marketing.Iain’s early work experiences, however, have surprisingly little to do with business, marketing, or promotional products in nearly any form. Since his teenage years, Iain has loved playing and producing music. Much of his entrepreneurial experience initially comes from his work as a musician. After earning a degree in recording engineering, Iain worked as a musician and producer. As a “day job,” he began working at a calendar company, the family business for a close friend and bandmate, where he spent most of his time assembling boxes (“Box-making jobs are highly regarded by broke musicians everywhere”). From there, the next decades would be spent learning about the industry and advancing through various ventures in promotional marketing before ending up at the head of SVS Marketing, where he is happy to work today.
“Every day is different … not many industries offer that. Not knowing exactly how my day is going to play out is exciting… usually.”
But when Iain isn’t making music, his role at the head of SVS Marketing is a demanding, albeit enjoyable, one. The need for creativity and teamwork fits right into his personality, and his extensive experience in the industry makes him a great fit for the company. Furthermore, he is a natural leader. He is driven, in part, by a sincere desire to see the people around him succeed, and believes in the value of empowering co-workers as best as possible. The work environment at SVS is one that he wants to foster this ideal. After spending over thirty years in a wide variety of promotional marketing environments, he understands well what is needed to succeed in the industry, and tries to bring those qualities in every day for his co-workers.
Iain is a leader who likes to be a little involved in everything. Although he did not initially seek out the industry he has ended up in, he is both happy with and proud of where he is today. He considers himself an entrepreneur, always making sure he can take control of his own path through life. His sense of determination and independence, despite their roots in his musical career, have served him well as he navigates the world of promotional marketing. Iain is someone who tries to get to know everyone he works with and support them in any way he can, and it is this quality, perhaps above all, that makes him an exceptional leader for SVS Marketing.
“There aren’t many industries that offer unlimited opportunity. There are no traditional restrictions or glass ceilings here. You have unlimited earning potential. Period. Just work hard, define what you would like to accomplish and go get it!”