MEFA 2026 Spring Social: Network & Learn with VIP guest Karen Blackett CBE

Get ready to network and learn with us at the MEFA 2026 Spring Social! Join us in-person for an exciting chance to hear from our VIP guest, Karen Blackett CBE. Get ready to network, mingle, and get inspired on 22nd April from 6pm. You won’t want to miss this one!

At MEFA, 2026 is about self-improvement in small, meaningful ways that add up to major career milestones with our new "A Conversation With..." network and learn live series.

We're thrilled to have the ultimate media matriarch, Karen Blackett CBE, sharing how she became a trailblazer, how far she has come, and how she navigated to the top while staying true to her roots.

An interactive conversation on what it takes to achieve high-level success in today’s media landscape. We'll continue to explore Naren's high-performance scoring system, showing how a focus on health and home contributes to success at work. Naren Patel will join the conversation alongside host Nadine Campbell

Karen is the former UK President for WPP, the world’s largest marketing services group, where she was directly responsible for driving growth in WPP’s second-largest market of 13,000 people and managing revenue of $2 billion.

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). 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 Year's honours.

In May 2025, Karen joined The Board of The British Fashion Council, and in June 2025 was appointed Non-Executive Director at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Karen has been awarded honorary doctorates from The University of Portsmouth, Southbank University, Reading University, and Ravensbourne University, and is a Fellow of King's College London.

This is an interactive session designed to give you the blueprint to lead with confidence. You can share your questions ahead of the event by 15th April for a chance to hear them asked live here:https://www.mediaforall.org.uk/questions

Info: Welcome to Media For All Spring social event, enjoy some drinks and early networking ahead of our conversation with Karen Blackett CBE.

Info: Join our powerhouse, MEFA member and VIP guest Karen Blackett CBE, alongside Naren Patel for an interactive conversation on what it takes to achieve high-level success in today’s media landscape and how health and home play a major part of success at work.

Info: Enjoy networking with MEFA members and 7Stars, with canapés and drinks.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

the7stars, 90 Long Acre, London, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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