Patrick Vernon

Dr Patrick Vernon OBE has enjoyed a successful career as a health activist, social commentator and cultural historian. Working across both the public and private sectors, Patrick has developed and managed services including social care, mental health, public health, cultural heritage, employment and regeneration. Currently the Chair of the Citizens Partnership for the Health Safety Investigation Branch, Associate Director for Connected Communities for the Centre for Ageing Better and the Director of Every Generation Media, Patrick is a leading expert on African genealogy in the UK and campaigns passionately about Windrush. Now booked as a speaker, Patrick is hired to talk on topics such as mental health, public health, NHS reforms, family genealogy, Black British history and more.

Establishing strong credibility amongst civil servants, MPS and Ministers, Patrick has formerly been an Associate Fellow for the Department of the History of Medicine for Warwick University. He has also committed his time as an adviser on equality and diversity for Lambeth and Harrow Councils, amongst other responsibilities as the first Director of Black Thrive and Director of the Camden and Islington Mental Health Foundation. He has also acted as the Director of The Afiya Trust, Chaired the Westminster Race Equality Partnership and was the Director of the Brent Health Action Zone.

For the past decade, Patrick has established a reputation as one of the leading activists for the Windrush Generation. Passionate about further exposing the Windrush scandal, Patrick launched the Windrush Justice Fund and encouraged over 180,000 people to sign campaigns of amnesty for Windrush children. Other prominent roles of Patricks have included being appointed as the Race Equalities Advisor to the Shadow Equalities Ministerial Team by Jeremy Corbyn, founding Every Generation Media and 100 Great Black Britons, Health Partnership Coordinator for the National Housing Federation, committee member of Healthwatch England, Editor of the Black History Month Magazine and the Windrush Commemorative Magazine.

Highly commended throughout his career, Patrick was appointed OBE and Pioneer of the Nation for Cultural History by the Queen. He has also claimed an Honorary PhD from Warwick University, been awarded the National Campaigner Award 2019 and named as one of Britain’s Top 20 Campaigners by Vogue, on the 2020 Powerlist of 100 Influential Black People in Britain and as one of the 1000 Progressive Londoners by the Evening Standard. He has also acted as the Independent Non-Executive Director of Birmingham and Solihull ICS and the NED of Hertfordshire NHS Trust. In 2020, Patrick established the Majonzi Fund to support members of the black community suffering due to Covid-19, and in 2021 he was appointed as the Honorary Professor of Cultural Heritage and Community Leadership at Wolverhampton University.

With such a successful career behind him, Dr Patrick Vernon is now a popular choice as a speaker for a range of corporate events. A highly skilled communicator, negotiator and facilitator, Patrick has worked in various politically sensitive environments and had a substantial impact on cultural history, mental health and public health. When booked as a speaker, Patrick covers topics such as race equality, activism, cultural migration history, family genealogy, leadership, diversity and more. Commended for his high-profile campaigns surrounding cultural heritage and social justice, Dr Patrick is the perfect speaker when looking for an individual who will create insightful and meaningful discussions.

We recently sat down in an exclusive interview with Patrick Vernon, to hear his thoughts on mental health in the Black community and how businesses must tackle discrimination in the workplace. Watch the Q&A on our YouTube channel, along with many other exciting interviews.