Karen Blackett OBE is the UK Country Manager for WPP and the CEO of GroupM UK. She is a strong advocate for diversity and has a remarkable track record in driving business growth over her 20+ year career in media. As an experienced keynote speaker, Karen energizes teams and promotes diversity in the advertising and media industry. Her goal is to create vibrant company cultures.
Karen is a proven business leader. She has consistently delivered success while building vibrant cultures and energizing teams. In September 2022, she was appointed UK President of WPP, the world’s largest marketing services group. She previously held roles as UK Country Manager for WPP and as UK CEO of GroupM, the leading media investment company.
In her role as GroupM UK CEO, Karen drove growth in WPP’s second-largest market, which has 10,000 employees. She managed the business during critical times, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
In June 2014, Karen received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. She topped the Power List, becoming the first businesswoman to do so. Recently, she was appointed as a Non-Executive Director for Diageo, a FTSE Top 100 company, and she previously served as a Non-Executive Director of The Cabinet Office.
Karen is also a single mom to her 12-year-old son, Isaac. The daughter of two Barbadian parents, she frequently returns to her spiritual “home,” Barbados. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks her two adorable dogs, Bob Marley and Missy Elliot.
