Meetup 21 March 2023

This event has taken place


Venue: The Drum, 23 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3LT

Time:
17.30 GMT: Networking and Drinks
18.00 GMT: Star Guest Q&As
18.45 GMT: Networking and Drinks

Turning crisis into opportunity

Why are so many successful businesses launched or relaunched in an economic downturn? And what makes a “last person standing” media company?

Media Entrepreneur Meetup Co-Host Piers Bearne will be interviewing industry leaders on lessons from previous recessions and what opportunities come out of a crisis.

The MediaFutures Industry Benchmarking report, co-produced with Collingwood Advisory, will be published the same day. Guest speakers will have their chance to talk about “what great looks like”. 

Speakers

Justine Roberts CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Mumsnet Limited

Simon Kimble, Chairman, Clarion Events

Simon Middelboe, Former Chief Strategy Officer at With Intelligence

The March London Meetup is an informal evening event for media entrepreneurs, with drinks, networking and Q&As with Founders and Media Leaders who are out of the ordinary. 

Q & A Speakers 


 

Justine Roberts, headshot, black and white

Justine Roberts CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Mumsnet Limited

Justine is the Founder and CEO of Mumsnet and Gransnet. Over the last 20 years Mumsnet has grown into the UK’s busiest and most influential network for parents, with over 10 million unique users per month. Before Mumsnet, Justine wrote for the Daily Telegraph and the Times and before that she was an economist and strategist for SG Warburg. Justine was appointed CBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the economy.

 

Simon Kimble black and white headshotSimon Kimble, Non-Executive Director, Clarion Events; Chairman, Market Dynamics Media; Non-Executive Director, NEC Group

In 2001, Simon joined Clarion Events as MD and oversaw the growth of Clarion Events to become a leading international events company with interests in Exhibitions, Conferences, Publishing and Digital. Clarion was owned by a succession of private equity companies and was acquired by The Blackstone Group in September 2017. Simon stepped down from his role as Executive Chairman in Sept 2022 but remains a Non-Executive Director. Simon is an active investor in other event related businesses and has many varied interests.

 

Simon Middleboe headshotSimon Middelboe, Former Chief Strategy Officer at With Intelligence 

Simon Middelboe is a digital leader with expert knowledge of all areas of B2B media in the UK and internationally, combining original strategic thinking with profit-focused operational management. He has more than 25 years’ senior management experience as CEO, MD and Chief Strategy Officer at Emap, Informa, Centaur and most recently With Intelligence. Simon has worked on and led over 30 M&A transactions and integrated many Founder-led businesses, and has worked across B2B information, publishing and events.