Marketing leadership masterclass with ex WPP President, Karen Blackett CBE

Karen Blackett is one of the most respected leaders in marketing and media. As the former UK President of WPP and former CEO of GroupM UK, she has led through industry change, crisis and growth at the highest level.

In this marketing leadership masterclass, Karen shares the principles that have shaped her career: why great teams need diverse perspectives and healthy tension; why leaders must say what they really think; and how to make better decisions without mistaking consensus for alignment.

She reflects on leading GroupM UK through COVID, how she approaches recruitment, and the small meeting habit that helps ensure the most important conversations actually happen. Karen also discusses the evolving client-agency relationship, what the future holds for the creative industry, and the challenge of rebranding Barbados.

Timestamps

00:00 - Start

00:51 - Karen’s new leadership podcast

02:03 - The surprising thing about leadership

05:25 - Why we need to change our view of leadership

05:58 - The standout leaders from Karen’s career

11:20 - Karen’s leadership lessons from running WPP

15:55 - The importance of diverse perspectives

17:34 - The importance of saying what you really think