The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Guest Lecture
- When? 03 March 2020 - 03 March 2020 , 17.30
- Where? MH002 lecture theatre, Mary Seacole building, City Campus Molineux
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The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and the University of Wolverhampton are delighted to welcome airship and ballooning pioneer, Michael Kendrick, to give a guest lecture on the 3rd of March 2020.
Michael, who is from Bridgnorth, formed the Virgin Airship and Balloon Company with Sir Richard Branson in 1988. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Technology, by the University of Wolverhampton, in recognition of his pioneering work on the technology of ballooning, which brought this method of aviation to new parts of the world and his revolutionary approach to business and marketing.
Michael's roots are in Marketing and Public Relations, which is where he discovered the power of aerial advertising. In 1988, in partnership with Sir Richard Branson, he formed the Virgin Airship and Balloon Company, which would quickly grow to become the world's largest aerial advertising agency, operating over 200 aircraft in 30 countries.
Michael was also project director for all of Sir Richard's high-profile world record attempts and a director and founding shareholder of several other Virgin companies.
In 1999, Michael founded The Mineseeker Foundation to raise awareness for landmine victims and to seek technological solutions for clearing mines. He personally recruited eminent patrons including Nelson Mandela, Queen Noor of Jordan, Sir Richard Branson, and Lord Attenborough.
Michael has been inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation and is CEO of Straightline Aviation Ltd, which is introducing a revolutionary new aircraft that will transform the aviation industry.
He is also the founder of the Rhinos' Last Stand, a joint venture between SeekerDNA and Rhino Rescue Project to save the rhino from the brink of extinction, using new technological solutions and fresh thinking.