Karen Blackett OBE

Former President, WPP UK

Speaker Themes

  • Influence & leadership: creating an exceptional culture
  • Unlocking and understanding the consumer
  • Future-proofing your business in the 21st century

Travels from

UK

BIOGRAPHY

Karen is a proven business leader with a track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams, and consistently delivering business growth and success. She is the former UK President for WPP, the world’s largest marketing services group, and responsible for driving growth in WPP’s second largest market of 13,000 people.

Former GroupM UK CEO, Karen was selected to turnaround the business over 2.5 years at a critical time, during the COVID global pandemic and the subsequent impact of the killing of George Floyd.

In June 2014, Karen received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours and topped the Power List, being the first businesswoman to come in at number 1. 

In November 2022, Karen received Power List’s Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her continued exceptional achievements. In June 2023, Karen was appointed a NED for Diageo (a FTSE Top 10 company), and was a former NED of The Cabinet Office. In October 2023, Karen was honoured by INvolve – The Inclusion People’s List and came in at #1 for the Top 100 Women Executives.

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