Big-hitter Karen Blackett joins BFC board
High-profile government, media and marketing specialist Karen Blackett is set to bring a 'wealth of experience' to the British Fashion Council 's (BFC) board of directors. She succeeds June Sarpong, whose board tenure ends this month.
Recognised as a 'globally-renowned business leader', Blackett has held senior positions at leading marketing agencies and has extensive expertise in government engagement, the BFC said.
The latter associations include as No 10 Downing Street's business ambassador to the Department for International Trade, non-executive board member for The Cabinet Office, and the prime minister's Race Equality Business Champion.
Blackett 'has also been instrumental in driving diversity and inclusion initiatives' within her roles.
David Pemsel, chair, British Fashion Council, said: 'Karen's appointment comes at a critical time for the British fashion industry. She brings an established relationship with government and a strong track record in shaping policy and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
'Her invaluable experience will strengthen the BFC's ability to advocate for the industry and ensure British fashion remains a vital part of the UK's cultural and economic landscape.'
Blackett added: 'I can ensure that the contributions of the British fashion industry are understood, championed and cherished. It's a sector we should be extremely proud of and one where we continue to pioneer.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
What are the Epstein files Musk accuses Trump of being mentioned in?
'Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files," Elon Musk posted on the social media platform X on Thursday in a move that could potentially sever his close friendship with US President Donald Trump. From key ally to the US president to arch enemy almost overnight, Musk has fallen out with Trump over the president's "Big Beautiful Bill". Musk, who funded Trump's election campaign and led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has just recently departed the agency and the Trump administration, as he increasingly publicly criticised what he said was a "disgusting abomination" that will "burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.' Following a series of tweets on the matter, Musk went so far as to accuse Trump without providing evidence of being included in the infamous files — which Trump himself demanded be released, as they purportedly contain the names of a number of high-profile political and business figures in the US and abroad linked to a sexual exploitation scheme involving minors. Trump, whose administration promised to release the Epstein Files, has rejected Musk's allegations, telling reporters Musk had "lost his mind". There is no evidence of his participation in illegal activities with Jeffrey Epstein. An influential US financier, Epstein came under significant public scrutiny after he was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, but wound up serving just 13 months in jail. He was indicted on federal charges in New York in 2019, more than a decade after he secretly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of similar charges of sex trafficking. The case has drawn widespread attention because of Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's links to royals, presidents and billionaires. Maxwell herself is the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who once owned the New York Daily News. Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein's criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed the final batch of a trove of documents that had been collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. Much of the material, including transcripts of victim interviews and old police reports, had already been publicly known. They included mentions of Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and magician David Copperfield, as well as testimony from one victim who said she met Michael Jackson at Epstein's Florida home, but nothing untoward happened with him. The previously released files included a 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted spending several hours with Epstein at Trump's Atlantic City casino. However, the documents did not state whether she had actually met Trump or accused him of any wrongdoing. Trump and Epstein have been friends since the late 1980s, when both men were part of the socialite circles in New York. Over the years, the two have partied at Mar-a-Lago, a Palm Beach estate that Trump purchased in 1995, and attended a Victoria's Secret show together. The US president has said in the past that he thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy,' but that they later had a falling out in 2004, reportedly over a botched real estate deal. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side," Trump told New York Magazine in 2002. Trump has since said he "wasn't a fan" of Epstein. According to media reports, since Epstein's sexual exploitation ring became public, Trump offered support and provided evidence against his once-friend. Epstein did not hold back since the two fell out, either. Trump biographer Michael Wolff last year released tapes of interviews with Epstein, in which he called the US president 'functionally illiterate' and a "horrible human being". The US president's team has rejected allegations of any connection between the two in recent years, stating Wolff — whose tapes showed Epstein knew some details of the inner workings of the first Trump administration between 2017 and 2021 — was "a disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies". Musk has also been connected to Epstein. Like Trump, in 2014, he was photographed with Epstein's partner Maxwell at a party. Epstein died in apparent suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on criminal charges at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The US Justice Department's Inspector General said that his suicide was the end result of 'combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures' by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons and jail workers. The watchdog report found no evidence of foul play. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking related to her role in Epstein's abuse and exploitation scheme. She lost her appeal in September 2024. While the US president has faced multiple sexual assault accusations in the past, he has rejected all allegations as part of media bias or political smear campaigns. In December 2024, a judgment was upheld against Trump for defamation and sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll in 1995 or 1996. The sentencing carried a penalty of $5 million (€4.4m). Dozens of human rights activists took to the streets of the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday to protest against the murder of 17-year-old TikTok influencer, Sana Yousuf. The protest comes after the man accused of killing the teenager made his first court appearance on Wednesday, officials and police said. "Why are there so few people present here at this protest rally today? Why is the whole of Pakistan not standing up and speaking out in protest? This is something which impacts and affects everyone," activist Tahira Abdullah said. The suspect, 22-year-old Umar Hayat who also creates content on TikTok, was arrested on Tuesday by police in Faisalabad, an industrial city in eastern Punjab province. He is accused of shooting Yousuf, who had more than 1 million followers on social media. Authorities believe he broke into her home after she rejected his offer of friendship. The killing earlier this week in Islamabad drew widespread condemnation. TV footage showed Hayat with his face covered as he was brought to court, where police requested additional time to complete their investigation and file formal murder charges. The judge ordered that Hayat be presented again on June 18 for pretrial proceedings. Yousuf, originally from the scenic northern region of Chitral, was known for promoting traditional Chitrali music and dress through her videos. She also advocated for girls' education. Hours before her murder, she had posted a photo celebrating her birthday with friends. TikTok has more than 60 million users in Pakistan, many of them young women and teenagers.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
France cools expectations of swift Palestinian state recognition
France is due later this month to co-host with Saudi Arabia a UN conference in New York on a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. There had been expectations that France could recognise a Palestinian state during that conference, with President Emmanuel Macron also growing increasingly frustrated with Israel's blocking of aid to the Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip. "France could have taken a symbolic decision. But this is not the choice we made because we have a particular responsibility" as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, while saying Paris was still "determined" the make the move. He said France would not recognise a Palestinian state alone, in a possible reference to the eagerness of Paris to see any French recognition matched by Gulf Arab allies -- notably regional kingpin Saudi Arabia -- recognising Israel. Several EU countries including Ireland, Spain and Sweden recognise a Palestinian state. But Germany, while backing a two-state solution, has said recognition now would send the "wrong signal". France is reportedly working closely on the issue with the United Kingdom, which also so far has not recognised a Palestinian state, at a time when French-British diplomatic ties are becoming increasingly tight after Brexit. Macron on Thursday said that he expected the conference in New York would take steps "towards recognising Palestine", without being more specific. He has said he hopes French recognition of a Palestinian state would encourage other governments to do the same and that countries who do not recognise Israel should do so. Barrot meanwhile also stressed the "absolute necessity" to address the issue of the disarmament of Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there, figures the United Nations deems reliable. Relations between Israel and France have deteriorated over the last weeks, with Israel's foreign ministry accusing Macron of undertaking a "crusade against the Jewish state" after he called on European countries to harden their stance if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve. © 2025 AFP
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
India's Modi opens strategic railway in contested 'crown jewel' Kashmir
Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict last month, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. "Pakistan will never forget... its shameful loss," the Hindu nationalist premier told crowds a month since India launched strikes on its neighbour after an attack on tourists in Kashmir. "Friends, today's event is a grand festival of India's unity and firm resolve," Modi said after striding across the soaring bridge to formally launch it for rail traffic. "This is a symbol and celebration of rising India," he said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains. New Delhi calls the Chenab span the "world's highest railway arch bridge", sitting 359 metres (1,117 feet) above a river. While several road and pipeline bridges are higher, Guinness World Records confirmed that Chenab trumps the previous highest railway bridge, the Najiehe in China. 'Our troubles' Modi called it "an extraordinary feat of architecture" that "will improve connectivity" by providing the first rail link from the Indian plains up to mountainous Kashmir. With 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, the new railway runs for 272 kilometres (169 miles) and connects Udhampur, Srinagar and Baramulla. It is expected to halve the travel time between the town of Katra in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, to around three hours. The new route will facilitate the movement of people and goods, as well as troops, that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and by air. More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire during last month's conflict. The fighting was triggered by an April 22 attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing, a charge denied by Islamabad. Rebel groups in Indian-run Kashmir have waged an insurgency for 35 years demanding independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan. Modi also announced further government financial support for those families whose relatives were killed, or whose homes were damaged, during the brief conflict --- mainly in shelling along the heavily militarised de facto border with Pakistan, known as the Line of Control. "Their troubles are our troubles," Modi said.
