KAREN BLACKETT

From an early age Karen's parents taught her and her older sister the lasting value of education, as well as an incredible work ethic. A sports-loving and competitive household that did not subscribe to traditional gender roles, Karen would often find her father baking coco bread in the kitchen while her mum worked nights at the hospital. Intrigued and amazed by television,

Karen was a fan of both the advertisements and the programmes. She would often try to come up with ideas for potential campaigns. However, having no idea that advertising was a career option and inspired by a teacher who lived nearby, Karen went on to study geography at the University of Portsmouth. Still enthralled by the advertising sector Karen spent her final year researching the sector and subscribed to the industry publication Campaign.

 After university Karen moved to London where her first advertising job was as a Direct Response Planner Buyer for CIA (now Wavemaker) which at the time was one of the country’s top three agencies. Throughout her career Karen has broken boundaries, holding prestigious positions such as Chief Operating Officer for MediaCom in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and becoming MediaCom’s UK Chief Executive Officer.

In 2014 Karen topped the Powerlist 100 as the ‘most influential Black person in Britain’. She was also awarded an OBE. 2018 saw Karen become WPP’s first UK Country Manager where she is working to create a more inclusive and sustainable media sector. Passionate about ensuring that the UK is seen as a beacon for talent and firmly placed on the world stage with regard to trade and industry,

Karen is also the first alumni Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth and a Trustee for the Music of Black Origin awards (MOBOs).