Karen Blackett OBE

Business growth expert

Karen Blackett OBE, is a renowned and proven business leader with a track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams and consistently delivering business growth and success.

An experienced keynote speaker, Karen is a well-known voice within the media and corporate world. Her style is forthright and engaging and provides the audience with a dynamic insight into the vast marketing and commercial acumen she has constructed as a leader in her field.

With over 20 years’ experience at the forefront of the media industry, and after an enormously successful period as CEO of Mediacom UK, in January of 2018 Karen became the first UK Country Manager for WPP, the world’s largest communications network, overseeing 14,000 people across multiple operating brands. In this role Karen is responsible for delivering growth in WPP’s 2nd largest market, with revenue of $2 billion.

Named by Vogue as one of the 25 Most Influential and Inspirational Women of 2018 and ranked top of the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive Leaders list, Karen was appointed the Race Equality Business Champion by the UK Prime Minister in 2018, and was made a non-executive director of the UK Government Cabinet Office in 2019.

Karen’s keynote topics include:

  1. Influence & Leadership: Creating an Exceptional Culture
  2. Unlocking and Understanding the Consumer
  3. World Class Leadership
  4. Future-proofing your Business in the 21st Century / Talent is Everywhere, Opportunity is Not

Watch Karen’s TED Talk: ‘It’s Ok to be You’

Karen Blackett