Michael Samuel

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Anna Freud Centre

London, UK

Biography

Michael Samuel MBE is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Anna Freud Centre.

Previously, Michael was Chairman of AGL, an unconventional communications agency. He is a director of a number of companies and was Chief Executive of Mayborn Group plc. He is a Conservative Party donor and joint Founder and Chair of the cross-party Board of Trustees of Full Fact.

Michael is Co-Founder of Civic, which aims to support a major change in the approach of communities & organisations, to accelerate impact and help charities to do better. Civic work with Syrian refugees in Jordan, Kabul, Nepal and the UK, cooperating largely with existing large charities including UNHCR, World Vision, National Trust councils and local communities. Michael has many other philanthropic interests, including the Somerset Community Foundation, Helpforce, a new organisation designed to increase volunteering in the NHS. Michael also supports Project Burma which is a charity involved in the education of students, as well as Chairman and Trustee of five family charities.

Michael actively farms in Somerset and Scotland.

In the New Years Honours list 2020, Michael was awarded an MBE in recognition for his services to Young People and to Mental Health.

Michael Samuel’s Newsfeed

Overwhelming support for Anna Freud Centre of Excellence at Royal Gala

Service users and supporters of the Centre came together with our patron HRH the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday evening at Kensington Palace to show their support for the construction of our new Centre of Excellence...On her arrival Her Royal Highness was greeted by our lifetime president and benefactor Dr Moshe Kantor and our Chair of Trustees, Michael Samuel.

Financial Times

‘Spurious Makes Us Curious’: the UK’s professional fact-checkers

Michael Samuel, Chairman, AGL was mentioned in The Financial Times in relation to Full Fact, a new organisation set up to scrutinise political claims.

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Michael Samuel’s Background

Anna Freud Centre

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Jul 2002 - Present

London, UK

The Anna Freud Centre is an international leader in child mental health research, training and treatment located in London.

Civic

Co-Founder

London, UK

Civic is a global project with the aim of re-imagining and re-making the world, one neighbourhood at a time.

AGL

Chairman

Jan 2010 - 2018

London, UK

AGL is an unconventional communications agency. They work with leaders in business, society and education, helping them find the courage to liberate themselves and do what they know is right: to communicate authentically – as people and as organisations.

Muddy Puddles

Chairman

Jan 1990 - Present

London, UK

Online retailer of children's clothing.

Mayborn Group

Chief Executive

Jan 1978 - Dec 2006

London, UK

Michael joined the family company, Mayborn Group in 1978. He then bought the majority of the company in 1980. At this point, the company employed approximately 150-200 people and turned over £1.5 m. Although Mayborn Group was at the time heavily loss-making Michael turned it around in 2 years. Michael then sold the Group to 3i private equity in 2006 for approximately £115m.

The City Car Club

Non-Executive Chairman

Jan 2005 - Dec 2015

London, UK

City Car Club is one of the leading car club operators in the UK. With around 840 vehicles, it is the oldest and one of the largest car clubs operating at a national scale in the country. Successfully sold in March 2015.

Rotala

Non-Executive Director

Jan 2008 - Dec 2010

London, UK

Rotala provides a range of transport solutions for businesses, local authorities, the public and private individuals.

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Other Business Interests

Full Fact

Chair of the cross-party board of trustees and Joint Founder

Jan 2010 - Present

London, UK

Full Fact is the UK's independent factchecking charity, promoting well-informed public debate on important issues.

Philanthropy

Helpforce

Volunteer

London, UK

Helpforce are at the forefront of a national movement to improve the lives of NHS staff, patients and communities through the power of volunteering.

Prospect Burma

Supporter

London, UK

Prospect Burma has invested in the future of Myanmar through education helping their alumni go on to achieve incredible things, thereby facilitating the transformation of Myanmar through the application of their skills in the country.

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Michael Samuel’s Education

Coopers & Lybrand

Trained as an Accountant

Eton College