Joe Blackman (born c. 1984) is a Welsh entrepreneur and former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Collection 26 (formerly called Green Ant Events), a luxury event-planning company. He previously sat as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

at the Cardiff Magistrates Courts.

Event planning

Blackman was raised with two siblings in

Llantwit Major Llantwit Major () is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Barry and ...

, near

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Wales by his single mother, who was an events manager at St Donat's Art Centre. He began working on events run by his mother, before starting his first business while in university. In 2005 when he was 20 years old, Blackman founded Green Ant Events, an event-planning company. Venture Wales, a business-support project of the Welsh government, supported Blackman's efforts with business advice. The company organised an event in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

at the 15th Asian Games for the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

. In 2008 during a recession he changed its focus to luxury events for wealthy clients. In 2010 he moved the business to

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

in London to be closer to his target market. In 2013 the name of the company was changed to Collection 26. It threw parties for celebrities including 50 Cent, The Killers, and Premier League footballers. The company was sold in 2017, and the assets were returned to its investors by January 2018. Blackman was appointed

Member 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 ...

(MBE) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to the economy and charity.

Education

Blackman started working on a BA degree in

Stage Management Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including overseeing of the rehearsal proce ...

at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2003 and 2004 but left to start freelancing. He qualified in health and safety management by

NEBOSH The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH ( )) is a UK-based examination board offering qualifications in health, safety, environment and wellbeing management. It was founded in 1979 and has charitable status. I ...

. and then earned a master's degree in

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from the University of South Wales with funding from the Welsh government.

Magistrate service

Blackman became a

in Cardiff in 2008. At the age of 23, he was the youngest magistrate on the Cardiff bench, and one of the youngest in the UK.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackman, Joe 1984 births Living people 21st-century Welsh businesspeople People associated with the University of South Wales Members of the Order of the British Empire