Karen Blackett OBE is the UK Country Manager for WPP and the UK CEO of GroupM.
Karen is a renowned and proven business leader with a track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams and consistently delivering business growth and success.
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 October 2018.
A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, she is a regular fixture in the Power List 100 of the UK’s most influential black people.
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.
With over 20 years of experience at the forefront of the media industry, Karen Blackett rose to her current positions after an enormously successful period as CEO of MediaCom UK, which saw her in charge of over £1.2 billion of media billings and 1,200 employees.
As CEO of MediaCom UK, she also oversaw £790 million of new business and the successful capture of the coveted Tesco account, after 23 years with their incumbent agency. This period of growth and success was recognised by the industry magazine Campaign, voting MediaCom UK Agency of the Year for an unprecedented two years running in 2013 & 2014.
Karen Blackett Keynote Speaker
An experienced keynote speaker, Karen Blackett 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.
This was further recognised in 2014 when she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Media & Communications, and in 2017 with Campaign Magazine voting Karen the ‘Most admired Leader in Ad Land‘.
Karen has driven Diversity & Inclusion as a key contributor to business success in all organisations that she works with. In the 5 years that Karen was CEO of MediaCom, ethnic diversity transformed from 11% to 19%, and women in senior management roles increased to 44%.
Karen’s keynote speaking topics include:
- Influence & Leadership: Creating an Exceptional Culture
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Unlocking and Understanding the Consumer
- World-Class Leadership
- Future-proofing your Business in the 21st Century / Talent is Everywhere, Opportunity is Not
Her recent clients include Amazon, Barclays, BNY Mellon, Odgers Berndtson, Channel 4 and the Civil Service.
In 2015, Karen was appointed as one of only four external advisors to help diversify the Civil Service.
In March 2016, Karen served a 2-year term as President of NABS, the advertising industry charity which focuses on health and wellbeing in the workplace and presenting the business case for diversity.
She is also one of 40 Business Ambassadors for the Department of International Trade; Board member for the Creative Industries Federation; Advisory Board member of Hyden Talent; a Non-Exec Director for Creative England and a member of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications London).
Karen was appointed Chancellor of The University of Portsmouth in 2017, and in 2019 she was made a non-executive director of the UK Government Cabinet Office.
