Mike Bennett (businessman)

Mike Bennett, (born 2 July 1974) is a businessman who started one of the UK's very first digital agencies in Bristol with his partner Stuart Avery. He is actively involved in the wider media and creative landcape of Bristol and the South West of England.

Biography

Bennett went to school in Pocklington before reading Politics and Sociology at the University of Essex and then the University of Bristol (1993-1997). He was co-founder of digital agency, New Generation Productions (which later became E3 Media (digital agency)) along with his partner, Stuart Avery which they started in the cellar of their student house in Bedminster, Bristol six months before the pair graduated.

The agency experienced rapid growth and the early success of the business led to both Bennett and Avery diversifying their interests into restaurants, publishing and minority shareholdings in technology and media companies.

In 2006/7 Bennett and Avery were acknowledged as two of the city's leading young entrepreneurs and were jointly named Bristol Business Person of the Year.

In the same year Bennett was also invited to be a founder member of the the University of Bristol's Roll of Honor along with other successful business entrepreneurs including Coffee Republic co founder Sahar Hashemi and Mark Ellingham, Joint Managing Director of Rough Guides.

In 2006 he took up the role of Chair of Bristol Media, the city wide support network for the creative industries. He was offered the newly created position of Chief Executive in March 2008, which he accepted.

Although he remained in close contact with E3 Media (digital agency) he stepped down from the position as joint managing director (a position he'd had since establishing the agency in 1997) to focuss primarily on building the Bristol Media network.

Bennett lectures to hundreds of students throughout the year on subjects such as enterprise, entrepreneurship, business start up, digital media, and business risk managament. He is also passionate AbOUT social mobility and the importance of promoting enterprise opportunities to underpriviledged teenagers and young adults across South Bristol.

He is a director and shareholder of the award winning bar and restaurant Goldbrick House in Clifton, Bristol, a board member of Bristol + and founding member of Bristol City Council's, Prosperous and Ambitious board.

In March 2009 is was reported, that Avery and Bennett had completed a management buy out of E3, taking back 100% , of the company from the original investors Scott Davidson and Dougal Templeton.

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