Colin Morrison

Colin Morrison is variously chairman and non-executive director of media, communications and marketing companies, having been a CEO of media companies in the UK, AsiaPacific and across Europe. He is also a consultant to several private equity groups. Morrison is now chairman of Pharmaceutical Press Ltd., and Globelynx Ltd. (part of the Press Association), and a non-executive director of Centaur Media plc, IPCN Ltd. ('Creating in China'), British National Formulary, and Travel Weekly Group Ltd. He was formerly chairman of RCN Publishing Ltd and a non-executive director of eQuoteCentral Ltd.

From 2004 Until March 2008, he was Chief Executive of ACP-Natmag Magazines, a United Kingdom partnership between the National Magazine Company (owned by the Hearst Corporation) and the CVC-owned Australian Consolidated Press and was also CEO of ACP Media UK Ltd. Having established this weekly magazines group and been CEO since its formation four years before, Morrison left after selling ACP's 50% share to Hearst/NatMags.

Morrison has managed media businesses (magazines, newspapers, online, TV production, international licensing, B2B information and exhibitions) in the UK, across Europe and in the US and Asia–Pacific. He has been involved with managing and building partnerships and joint ventures with a number of international media companies including Hachette, Hearst, Dennis, Disney, Ringier, Australian Consolidated Press, the BBC, Microsoft, Ziff, and Newsweek.

He was formerly deputy chief executive of Reed Business Information, CEO of EMAP Communications, CEO of Australian Consolidated Press, COO/ Managing Director of Future Plc, CEO of Axel Springer International, and a director of public companies Emap Plc, Future Plc, and Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd (Australia). He was also chairman of tv production company GRB Entertainment (2000). He has worked as a journalist on newspapers and magazines variously in the UK, Ireland and the USA, and has managed print, TV and online media businesses around the world.

He is a former chairman of Magazine Publishers of Australia (1996–99), of British Business Press (1988–93), and a former director the UK Periodical Publishers Association (1989–95 and 2001–03).

He is Chairman of the Royal National Children's Foundation (Patron: HRH The Princess Royal), of which he was formerly a beneficiary, Freeman of the City of London and liveryman of the Stationers Company, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and Fellow of the Industry Parliament Trust,. He is a member of the Cook Society, and the Groucho, Savile, RAC and 1920 clubs. He is a fellow of the Bridewell Trust (King Edward's Witley), a member of the council of the Royal Alexandra & Albert School, and of the Advisory Board of the SpringBoard Foundation. In his role as Chairman of the Royal National Children's Foundation (formerly the Royal Wanstead Children's Foundation) since 2001, Morrison has been campaigning for government to learn the lessons of the charity's work and what the UK's state and independent boarding schools can do to help transform the life prospects of vulnerable children. He was a member of the UK government's Pathfinder group on vulnerable children, 2007-2010 and, in 2011, was responsible for launching the Assisted Boarding Network, supported by 60% of all local authorities in England and Wales and by the Department for Education.

Colin Morrison writes the blog "Flashes & Flames" on "the fame, fortune and folly of media and business". and contributes to Huffington Post.