David Blunkett
Former Home Secretary David Blunkett is a sought after speaker. In a personal capacity, David succeeded against the odds to become a member of the cabinet, despite his blindness, and also a disadvantaged upbringing in a poor area of Sheffield. His keynote speeches cover topics such as leadership, sustainability and security, and his range of roles within government give him the gravitas and experience to deliver his messages with authority.
Both personable and passionate about the topic - David engaged wonderfully with our technical audience and was a real voice of authority on the topic. Some of our customers were both impressed and surprised at the level of indepth knowledge he possesses on IT security and the ease with which he involved them in the conversation, rather than presenting at them.
Security Partnerships
Labour party politician David Blunkett was born with a rare genetic condition that left him completely blind. From a deprived family in one of Sheffield’s poorest neighbourhoods, he beat the odds to become one of the UKs most popular and influential politicians .
Leading the Sheffield City Council for 7 years before entering the Commons, David unified the Labour party in the 80s and 90s when he shadowed health and education.
After Labour’s election win, he was first in charge of education and employment. He thrived in this role and won big increases in funds for schools, while consistently insisting on improved standards of literacy and numeracy, by standing up to teaching unions.
Rising to become Education and Employment Secretary, Home Secretary and eventually Work and Pensions Secretary in Tony Blair's Cabinet, David was promoted to Home Secretary after the 2001 general election.
David was the un-paid chair of the International Cyber Security Projection Alliance until 2016 and now is the honorary chair of the Cyber Essentials Direct Ltd (promoting the Cyber Highway).
As a keynote speaker or after dinner speaker, David specialises in leadership, sustainability and security, and his story of determination is inspirational and valuable to individuals and businesses.
As Home Secretary, David was responsible for a variety of issues including immigration, policing, race, and disability issues. He was also in charge of security, terrorism and expenditure. His experience and unparalleled knowledge of high level political issues, combined with his pragmatic yet relaxed demeanour, make it possible to forget his disability, which he describes as ‘an inconvenience.’
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