Karen Blackett CBE — Speaker

Biography

• In 2014, Karen topped The Power List, being the first businesswoman to come in at number 1.
• Karen was named Ambassador for the Department of International Trade (DIT) in 2015.
• As a long-term champion of the Creative Industry sector, Karen has been a Non-Executive Director for Creative UK since 2016.
• Karen was appointed Chancellor of The University of Portsmouth in 2017, the first Alumna to become Chancellor, and was a former Non-Executive Director of The UK Government Cabinet Office.
• In 2018, Karen was appointed Race Equality Champion for business by Prime Minister Theresa May.
• Karen founded The Black Equity Organisation [BEO] in 2021, alongside David Lammy MP, David Olusoga OBE, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, Ric Lewis and Dame Vivian Hunt. BEO is an independent, national Black civil rights organisation created to dismantle systemic racism in Britain, drive generational change and deliver better lived experiences for Black people across the country.
• In June 2022, Karen was appointed a Non-Executive Director for Diageo (a FTSE Top 10 company).
• Karen has been awarded honorary doctorates from The University of Portsmouth, Southbank University, Reading University, Ravensbourne University and is a Fellow of Kings College London.
• In April 2024, Karen was awarded Freedom of the City of London and received a CBE for Services to Advertising and The Creative Industries in the January 2025 King’s New Years honours.
• In May 2025, Karen joined The Board of The British Fashion Council, and in June 2025 was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).