Chris Johnston specialises in corporate communication and issue management which he says is all about protecting and promoting the reputations of people, products and organisations. Chris consults with businesses in the financial, technology and professional services field advising the likes of Northern Bank, Hewlett-Packard and Grant Thornton along with local high growth companies such as recycling firm Natural World Products in Northern Ireland.

He is the outgoing President of the University of Ulster Alumni Association and sits on an advisory group to the Belfast Giants ice-hockey team. He is involved in a number of initiatives to promote leadership and social inclusion amongst young people in Northern Ireland. He co-founded children’s charity, the Youth Empowerment Scheme, which aims to promote the social inclusion amongst children, aged 11-14 from diverse backgrounds across Belfast. He founded Civic Leader, an accredited leadership development programme for students, used by a higher education college in Belfast as part of an initiative to improve employability skills for 16-18 year olds. He founded the annual Kennedy Memorial lecture in conjunction with Queen’s University, Belfast including securing artefacts from JFK’s 1963 visit to Ireland from the Kennedy Library in Boston for display at Queen’s Library in Belfast. He runs a part-time business dramaworks, focusing on improving young people’s creativity, confidence and communication skills in Northern Ireland.

He is a member of the British Councils TN2020 network, which brings together emerging leaders in Europe and North America. He blogs at: www.cafeharvard.wordpress.com