John Makinson

John Makinson is chairman of the Royal National Theatre. Before taking up the position in November 2010 he served on the theatre’s trustee board for over two years.

He is also chairman and chief executive of publishing company Penguin. He took this post following a job as finance director of Pearson, Penguin’s parent company, between 1996 and 2002 and where he remains a board member. Makinson further acts as chair of trustees for the Institute of Public Policy Research.

He began his career as a journalist at the Financial Times where he worked from 1979 to 1986, returning in 1994 for two years to work as the managing director where he was responsible for the production, distribution and marketing of the newspaper worldwide.

From 1986 to 1989 he held the position of vice chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi's US holding company. He also co-founded and ran Makinson Cowell, a specialist independent consultancy from 1989 to 1994. 

He was made a CBE in 2001.

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