Karen Blackett

Karen Blackett

OBE
Karen Blackett; OBE
Born	Karen Tracey Blackett; 7 August 1971 (age 52)
Nationality	British Barbadian
Alma mater	University of Portsmouth
Occupation(s)	Chair, Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth
Organisation	Group M
Children	Son, Isaac born 2010

Last updated March 28, 2024

Karen Tracey Blackett OBE (born 7 August 1971)^[1] is a British Barbadian businesswoman who works in the advertising industry and is the CEO of Group M. She became the Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth in October 2017.^[2]

Early life

Blackett grew up in Reading, Berkshire, with her mother, who was a nurse, her bus conductor father^[3] and her sister. She is originally from the Caribbean and her mother moved to London to work in the Royal Berkshire Hospital as a nurse in the 1960s. Blackett grew up around a lot of people from Barbados and other West Indian islands.^[4]^[5]

Education

Blackett went to the University of Portsmouth and graduated in 1992 with a degree in geography.^[6]

Work

After university, Blackett applied for a job advertised as a media auditor with CIA MediaNetwork. "I got through the first interview and then they asked me to give a presentation on the pros and cons of Sky TV. I didn't get that job but they suggested I talk to someone in media planning. I think it's because I was so gobby."^[3]^[7] In October 1995, she continued her career by joining Zenith Media as a senior communications planner and buyer working on the prestigious BT account. ^[8] In 1995, she was promoted to the board of directors of the newly merged MediaCom and The Media Business Group Board. She was later head-hunted by The Media Business Group.^[8] In January 2003, Blackett moved from her business director role to become the marketing director of MediaCom, then, in 2008, became MediaCom's chief operation director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She was promoted to CEO of the UK office in January 2011.^[8]^[9]

Working with Tim Campbell MBE and The National Apprentice Service, in 2012, Blackett launched an apprenticeship scheme at Mediacom for women aged 18 to 24.^[8] In 2015, she was promoted to chair of MediaCom UK,^[10] and, in 2016, named as the company's president.^[11]

Blackett has also worked with a life coach for more than ten years and this, as she claimed in an interview, has helped her both professionally and personally.^[12]

Awards and recognition

In 2003 and 2005, she was voted by Management Today as one of the 35 Most Powerful Women Under 35 in the UK.^[13] Blackett has featured on the UK's 100 most influential black women five times, and received an OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to media and communications.^[14]^[15]

Blackett was the first businesswoman to top the Powerlist in 2015.^[15] She was on the 2015 BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List of The Top Ten Influencers.

Personal life

Blackett is a single mother to Isaac, born 2010,^[3] and lives in Chiswick.^[5]

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References

↑ Davidson, Andrew (15 April 2012). "Tough cookie who took on the all white boys' ad club" . The Times . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ "Karen Blackett OBE announced as new University Chancellor". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
1 2 3 Martinson, Jane (19 October 2014). "MediaCom's Karen Blackett: 'Industry needs to do all it can to get talent'". The Guardian . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ Quine, Oscar (6 December 2014). "Karen Blackett: The most influential black person in the UK on growing up in 'Mini Barbados', ambition and her favourite ads". The Independent . Retrieved 12 June 2018.
1 2 Urwin, Rosamund (1 December 2014). "'If you're black and female you have to try twice as hard': Karen Blackett on race and role models". Evening Standard . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ "Karen Blackett OBE announced as new University Chancellor". UoP News. University of Portsmouth. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
↑ Pagano, Margareta (10 May 2014). "Karen Blackett: Black, working class and successful". The Independent . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
1 2 3 4 "Karen Blackett OBE". MediaCom. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
↑ Levy, Katherine (26 January 2012). "Krichefski set to be MediaCom UK COO". Campaign . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ McCabe, Maisie (7 December 2015). "MediaCom promotes Josh Krichefski to UK CEO". Campaign. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ Tylee, John (10 March 2016). "The accent is on stress for Nabs leaders". Campaign. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
↑ "Karen Blackett, OBE". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
↑ Goodchild, Sophie; Johnson, Andrew (27 April 2003). "The 20 most powerful women in Britain under the age of 35". The Independent . Retrieved 12 June 2018.
↑ "No. 60895". The London Gazette . 14 June 2014. p. b11.
1 2 Anderson, Elizabeth (17 November 2014). "Karen Blackett: 'I haven't been openly judged on gender or skin colour, but I'm sure it goes on behind my back'" . The Daily Telegraph . p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2018.