The Knowledge Exchange with Mike Blackburn OBE
The Knowledge Exchange is a discussion series aimed to give you access to leading figures in different sectors each week. The focus will be on sharing insight and expertise about how we emerge and navigate the evolving climate during and post Covid-19 and how businesses and sectors can best adapt, renew and recover. The discussions will feature experts with a focus sector or challenge covered each week.
During this session, Chris Peacock of Grayling Communications will be chatting with Mike Blackburn OBE.
About the Speakers:
Chris has a decade of working in political and community communications. He specialises in providing support for clients who operate in the north of England having spent most of his career in the region. Chris has work on community engagement projects across the private and public sectors from generating support to conveying complex issues to the community.
Prior to joining, he was a local councillor at Bolton Council where he was the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Sport. As Cabinet Member he led community engagement activities across his departments where he had to explain complex service changes to both proactive and unengaged members of the local community through various methods.
Chris has worked with key clients such as Transport for the North, Cadent Gas, and Peel.
Mike lives in the North West and spent his 36 year career in the private sector, always working for technology companies. He spent 25 years working for BT. When he left in January 2018, he was both Chair of BT’s NW Regional Board, and Head of Digital Government in the UK.
Mike has a portfolio of non-exec roles including Chair of Marketing Manchester and Manchester’s International Marketing advisory Board.
Mike holds a number of other Non-Exec or Trustee roles :
- Ex-Officio board member Greater Manchester LEP
- Chair of the Institute of Directors (IOD) in the North West.
- Trustee of the Lowry Theatre, Salford.
- Director of the Science Museum Foundation
- Non-exec at Telcom Group
- Dean’s advisory council member for Lancaster University Management School.
- Advisor at Snowball Alternative Finance Limited
- Associate at nStratagem
Mike was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2015 for services to the economy in the North West.
Mike sits on the North West advisory board for the Prince of Wales charity, Business in the Community, and was selected as the Prince’s NW Regional Ambassador for 2010/11 and 2011/12.
Mike is married with three children and lives in Cheshire.
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
