# Charlie Wilkie

> Charlie Wilkie is a British media and communications executive who leads 3BL, the sustainability and social-impact communications company. His career has moved from co-founding the Guardian's global sustainable-business platform to senior roles at Guardian Labs, Upworthy, GOOD and HuffPost, then to building products at 3BL that connect corporate reputation, distribution, measurement and AI visibility. He also co-founded Canterbury creative shop Rock Paper Scissors with his cousin Liz Wellstead and serves as a board director of Streets Ahead Collective.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at 3BL
- **Organizations:** 3BL, TriplePundit, Streets Ahead Collective, Rock Paper Scissors, HuffPost, GOOD Worldwide, Upworthy, Guardian News & Media
- **Nationality:** British
- **Known for:** Co-founded the Guardian's global sustainable-business platform., Helped launch a Guardian and Ben & Jerry's climate campaign that used comedy to broaden engagement with climate change., As a leader at Upworthy and GOOD, helped secure partnerships with national brands including Dick's Sporting Goods, Johnson & Johnson and L'Oréal.

## Career timeline

- **2005-2007** — Worked as divisional director at Austin Benn.
- **2008-2011** — Led conference and events sales at Guardian News & Media.
- **2011-2013** — Co-founded the Guardian's global sustainable-business platform and served as its commercial head.
- **2013-2016** — Held senior vice president roles in sponsorship and Guardian Labs at Guardian News & Media.
- **2016** — Joined Upworthy as vice president of sales.
- **2017-2018** — Served first as interim CEO and chief revenue officer, then as CEO of GOOD Worldwide and Upworthy's parent group.
- **2019-2020** — Served as chief revenue officer at HuffPost, where the publication launched its HuffPost Plus membership program.
- **2020** — Returned from New York to his hometown of Canterbury and co-founded Rock Paper Scissors with his cousin Liz Wellstead.
- **2022** — Joined 3BL as chief business officer.
- **2024** — Became chief executive officer of 3BL.
- **2024-2026** — Led the evolution of 3BL's communications products, including Focus and the AI Visibility Tracker.

## Achievements

- Co-founded the Guardian's global sustainable-business platform.
- Helped launch a Guardian and Ben & Jerry's climate campaign that used comedy to broaden engagement with climate change.
- As a leader at Upworthy and GOOD, helped secure partnerships with national brands including Dick's Sporting Goods, Johnson & Johnson and L'Oréal.
- Joined 3BL as chief business officer and contributed to its brand strategy, product development, TriplePundit's solutions-journalism focus and community expansion before becoming CEO.
- Co-founded Rock Paper Scissors in Canterbury to give local makers affordable retail space and practical business support.
- Serves as a board director of Streets Ahead Collective.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — 3BL detailed expanded benchmark, leaderboard and evidence features for its AI Visibility Tracker.
- **2026-07** — 3BL made its AI Visibility Tracker generally available as a core part of the platform.
- **2026-05** — 3BL introduced the AI Visibility Tracker in beta, designed around reputation, governance and trust questions across major AI platforms.
- **2025-11** — Published an essay arguing that AI is reorganizing credibility and creating a new trust economy for communications.
- **2025-04** — Published guidance on communicating corporate responsibility with timing, nuance and a clear strategic compass.

## Links

- Website: https://3bl.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliewilkie

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/charlie-wilkie
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-24