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Tuesday 4 February: Comic Relief has today announced that Philip Thomas, a leading figure in the global marketing and advertising industry, has been appointed as Chair of the charity’s Board of Trustees.
Philip is the current Chairman of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which he led as Chief Executive between 2006 and 2016. He is currently Executive Chairman of Informa Festivals, supporting the growth and development of a portfolio of global brands, including Cannes Lions, Game Developers Conference, Money20/20, Black Hat, and the Tech Week portfolio, including London Tech Week.
For over 20 years, Philip has made an outstanding contribution to the advertising industry as a strategic leader, and as a passionate advocate for creativity and gender equality. He has been recognised as an Agent of Change by Management Today for his efforts to further gender equality, and he is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
He sits on the BBC Future of AI in Media advisory board and is ex-Chair, and a current trustee, of Media Trust. Previously, he has served as Trustee of Malaria No More and on the World Economic Forum Council on the Future of Media. Beginning his career as a journalist, he has worked on leading national and international magazines and newspapers, including as Editor of Empire, the UK’s biggest-selling movie magazine.
Philip Thomas said: “I'm honoured to take on the role of Chair at Comic Relief, which has harnessed the power of creativity and generosity to drive real change for decades. I look forward to working with the team to help tackle poverty and injustice in the UK and around the world.”
Philip will formally start his role of Chair of the Comic Relief Board of Trustees on 4th February 2025. He will succeed Tom Shropshire who has served on the Board since 2018, and who has most recently held the role of Chair in an interim position since November 2023. Tom, who is the General Counsel and Company Secretary of Diageo plc and is a Member of the Court of the Bank of England, will resume his position on the board.
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Phil to the Board. Bringing a wealth of strategic experience, coupled with his determination to champion creativity, innovation, and excellence, I know Phil will play an instrumental part in helping us achieve our vision and goals. I also want to extend a special thanks to Tom, who has been a fantastic interim Chair. As Comic Relief enters this exciting, milestone year, I look forward to working with Phil, Tom, and the wider Board in our continued efforts to help communities here in the UK and around the world.”
Tom Shropshire said: “I am very pleased and excited to welcome Phil to Chair the Board of Trustees, and I believe that the future of Comic Relief looks simply amazing. I have been so fortunate and privileged to be a part of Comic Relief and have absolutely loved leading the Board since the end of 2023. I am confident that Samir and the team at Comic Relief have brilliant ambitions to deliver meaningful impact and change, while keeping humanity, laughter and fun as the beating heart of Comic Relief.”
Philip’s appointment comes as Comic Relief begins to celebrate its 40th birthday year in 2025. Last week, the charity launched its annual Red Nose Day fundraising campaign. The campaign aims to inspire the nation to come together once again and go big on joy and laughter whilst helping to raise vital funds to support people who are being forced to make truly impossible choices, every single day. More information about Red Nose Day, which returns on Friday 21 March, can be found at comicrelief.com/rednoseday(opens in new window).
