Colin Morrison is a British publishing executive, who is the chairman, non-executive director and consultant of several media and digital companies in Europe and Asia. He publishes the newsletter ''Flashes & Flames: The Global Media Weekly'', which he originally launched as a blog in 2012. He is a senior advisor to the New York media investment bank JEGI and is on the advisory board of the Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation. Morrison has managed media businesses (magazines, newspapers, online, TV production, international licensing, B2B information and exhibitions) in the UK, across Europe, the US, and Asia–Pacific. He has been involved in media partnerships and joint ventures with Sony, Microsoft, the BBC, Hearst, Axel Springer, Dennis, ''The Washington Post'', Press Association and Hachette. He was chairman of SBTV News, a partnership between online platform SBTV and

the Press Association PA Media (formerly the Press Association) is a multimedia news agency. It is part of PA Media Group Limited, a private company with 26 shareholders, most of whom are national and regional newspaper publishers. The biggest shareholders include th ...

(launched with

Jamal Edwards Jamal Brendan Edwards (24 August 1990 – 20 February 2022) was an English music entrepreneur, DJ and founder of the online R&B/Hip-Hop platform SB.TV. Edwards was an ambassador for the Prince's Trust, a youth charity which helps young peopl ...

), GlobeLinx Networks, Pharmaceutical Press, and also of Great Golf Media. He was also the founding chair of Boarding School Partnerships 2017-21, an information service launched by the UK Department for Education under Lord Nash, the under secretary of state for schools. In July 2018, he announced a Partnership Bursaries scheme under which 38 independent boarding schools would offer 40% bursaries to boarders in and on the edge of local authority care. Morrison said he hoped the scheme would help many more vulnerable young people to attend boarding schools - like he had decades before. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/06/12/behind-picture-privilege-boarding-schools-have-long-home-charity/

Career

After starting his career as a journalist variously in London (Lloyd's List), Dublin (Sunday Press) and New York (Seatrade), he was successively publisher, publishing director and deputy chief executive of

Reed Business Information RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...

(1979-1991), chair at

EMAP Ascential (formerly EMAP) was a British-headquartered global company, specialising in events, intelligence and advisory services for the marketing and financial technology industries. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was ac ...

Communications (1991-1995), CEO of

Australian Consolidated Press Are Media is an Australian media company. It was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press (ACP) during th ...

(1995-1999), CEO of

Axel Springer Axel Cäsar Springer (2 May 1912 – 22 September 1985) was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press m ...

International (1999-2001), chief operating officer and managing director of

Future plc Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson (entrepreneur), Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was ...

(2001-2003). and CEO of Australian Consolidated Press/ ACP Magazines and a director of Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, in Australia. From 2004 to March 2008, Morrison was chief executive of ACP-Natmag Magazines, a United Kingdom partnership between the

National Magazine Company National Magazine Company (or Nat Mags) is a British magazine publisher based in London. It was established in 1910 by William Randolph Hearst and was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation. Arnaud de Puyfontaine became chief execut ...

(owned by the

Hearst Corporation Hearst Corporation, Hearst Holdings Inc. and Hearst Communications Inc. comprise an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate owned by the Hearst family and based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York ...

) and the CVC-owned

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. He was the chairman of the TV production company GRB Entertainment (2000),

Pharmaceutical Press {{Infobox publisher , image = , parent = Royal Pharmaceutical Society , status = , founded = 1841 , founder = , successor = , country = United Kingdom , headquarters = London , distribution = Macmilla ...

(2001-2013), the

British National Formulary The ''British National Formulary'' (BNF) is a United Kingdom (UK) pharmaceutical reference book that contains a wide spectrum of information and advice on prescribing and pharmacology, along with specific facts and details about many medicin ...

(2004-2013), RCN Publishing (2011-2012), Globelynx (2010-) (part of the Press Association), and Skips Educational. He has held several non-executive director positions:

Centaur Media Centaur Media () is a London-based business information, events and marketing provider to professional and commercial markets. It currently operates through two segments: Xeim (marketing and communications), and The Lawyer. It was formed in 1981 ...

(2004-2103), IPCN (2008-2013), (2009-2010), Travel Weekly Group (2009-), Acclaimworks Ltd, Green Star Media Ltd, AA Media Ltd, Enthuse Group Ltd and Anthem Publishing. He is also a consultant to ''The Stage''.

Honours, professional and associations

He is a former chairman of Magazine Publishers of Australia (1996–1999), of British Business Press (1988–1993), and a director of the UK Professional Publishers Association (1989–1995, 2001–2003). He is a

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

and is 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 was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

for charitable services to vulnerable young people and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

for services to education. https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/colin-morrison-awarded-cbe-22661

Philanthropy

Morrison was the longest-serving chairman in the 189-year history of the Royal National Children's Foundation (patron:

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been ...

), of which he was formerly a beneficiary. In this role, during 2001–1016, Morrison campaigned 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. From 2007 to 2011, he was a member of the UK government's Pathfinder group on vulnerable children 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 This directly led to his launch of Boarding School Partnerships for the Department for Education in 2017. He has been an adviser to successive education ministers in the UK government.https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/colin-morrison-awarded-cbe-22661 He is a guest speaker for Speakers for Schools.

Publishing

Morrison writes the newsletter ''Flashes & Flames'' on "media fortune, fame and folly". and is a contributor to ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'' In 2016, he was honoured in the Folio:100 in the US. The citation read: "Colin Morrison uses his authoritative and entertaining voice to critique the media industry. He is an insightful and entertaining mind in a wobbly industry, and Flashes & Flames serves as a forceful watchdog." Guest contributors to ''Flashes & Flames'' have included

Lord Rothermere Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the county of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the press lord Harold Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth. He had already been created a baronet, of Horsey in ...

, Sir

Martin Sorrell Sir Martin Stuart Sorrell (born 14 February 1945) is a British businessman and the founder of WPP plc, the world's largest advertising and PR group, both by revenue and the number of staff. Sorrell was the longest-serving chief executive of a ...

, John Ridding,

Zillah Byng-Thorne Zillah Byng-Thorne (, born November 1974) is a British businesswoman, and chief executive of Dignity Funerals. She is the former CEO of Future plc, an FTSE 250 British media company, since April 2014. She was described by ''The Guardian'' in S ...

and

Arnaud de Puyfontaine Arnaud de Puyfontaine (; born 26 April 1964) is a French businessman who has been the chief executive officer of Vivendi since 2014. Early life Arnaud de Puyfontaine graduated from ESCP Europe in 1988, Institut Multimédias (1992) and the Harvar ...

. In April 2025, Flashes & Flames acquired MediaVoices, the producer of podcasts, conferences and newsletter for media companies for an undisclosed sum. https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/flashes-and-flames-acquires-media-voices-25324 In May 2025, Flashes & Flames organised its first live event, the Monetising B2B Information & Events conference at the Stationers' Hall in London https://publisherpodcasts.com/2025/en/node/organisation-flashes-flames In July, Flashes & Flames announced its second event, The Definitive AI Forum for Media, Information & Events, which takes place at Stationers' Hall, in London on 25 November 2025 https://flashesandflames.com/2025/07/10/major-new-ai-event-in-london/

References

External links

Colin Morrison at DeSilva+Phillips biodata

Colin Morrison's Blog - "Flashes & Flames"

Colin Morrison in ''Huffinton Post''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Colin British chief executives Corporate executives British journalists Living people 1951 births Commanders of the Order of the British Empire