Damian Collins

Damian Collins OBE is renowned as a former MP for Folkestone and Hythe, making significant contributions to British politics as the Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. During his decorated political career, Damian focused on inquiries into disinformation and fake news on social media, effective governance and immersive technologies. Now hired as an insightful keynote speaker, Damian shares his expertise on the intersection of government, politics, the media and technology.

Damian’s first political role was held back in 1996, when he worked as a Desk Officer and Press Officer for the Conservative Party. Following roles as an Account Director and Managing Director at M&C Saatchi, Damian returned to politics as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office. Building his political reputation, Damian was later sought to be the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2016, Damain was appointed as the Chair of the DCMS Select Committee, leading investigations into significant headlines such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal and doping in sport. It was also at this period in time that Damian published his first book, titled Charmed Life: The Phenomenal World of Philip Sassoon.

Other significant political roles of Damian’s include being the Joint Chair of the International Grand Committee on Disinformation, a group consisting of 30 parliamentarians questioning social media companies on ethics and disinformation, and Chair of the Joint Committee on the Online Safety Bill. Since the dissolution of Parliament in 2024, Damian has been committed to his roles as a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, an NED of Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd and the Festival Director of the Fleet Street Festival of Words. Damian has also authored another book, titled Rivals in the Storm, and is the host of the Infotagion podcast on which he discusses government affairs, politics, technology and media. In honour of his distinguished political and public service, Damian was appointed OBE in the 2023 Birthday Honours. Most recently, Damian has started writing for The New European, sharing his thoughts on politics, international relations and technology.

Having written on politics and tech for publications such as The Times, The New York Times, the London Evening Standard and The Daily Telegraph, Damian’s expertise is now highly sought after in keynote speeches at corporate events. Having led investigations on effective sport governance, immersive and addictive technologies, the future of media, disinformation and fake news on social media, Damian is highly sought after to share insights on his findings in such investigations.