Michael Samuel
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Chair of Trustees
London, GB
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Michael Samuel is a philanthropist and businessman. He has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Anna Freud Centre since 2003 (having become a Trustee in 1993). He has steered the growth of the charity, cementing its position as the leading children's charity, dedicated to providing training and support for child mental health services.
He is Chairman of the cross-party Board of Trustees of Full Fact. He Co-Founded the charity in 2010 with the aim of checking and correcting facts reported in the news. In 2023, Full Fact was awarded the British Academy President's Medal in recognition of its work finding, exposing and countering misinformation and misleading claims.
Michael also Co-Founded and Chairs Civic, a not-for-profit which aims to support communities and organisations to accelerate impact. Civic works on a range of projects in the UK and overseas, for example working with Syrian refugees in Jordan and the Great Green Wall project in Africa.
Michael has a range of other charitable interests. In September 2022, he became Chairman of the Somerset Community Foundation, which funds local charities as well as inspires local giving and philanthropy.
After training as a chartered accountant, he built up Mayborn Group, specialising in baby products. He served as Chief Executive from 1978 to 2006, growing the business from a £1.5 to a £115 million turnover.
He has been Chairman of outdoor clothing company, Muddy Puddles, since 2011, and is Chairman of Murex Energy. He was previously Chairman of AGL, a communications agency. He is a Conservative Party donor and also actively farms in Somerset and Scotland.
In 2020 Michael was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to Young People and to Mental Health.
The Record
Background
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1990 — Present
Chairman
Muddy Puddles
Online retailer of children's clothing.
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2018 — Present
Co-Founder
Civic
Civic is a global project with the aim of re-imagining and re-making the world, one neighbourhood at a time.
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2002 — Present
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Anna Freud Centre
The Anna Freud Centre is an international leader in child mental health research, training and treatment located in London.
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2022 — Present
Chair of Trustees
Somerset Community Foundation
The Somerset Community Foundation is a charity that helps passionate people in Somerset change the world on their doorstep by funding local charities and inspiring local giving and philanthropy.
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1978 — 2006
Chief Executive
Mayborn Group
Michael joined the family company, Mayborn Group in 1978. He then bought the majority of the company in 1980. At this point, the company employed approximately 150-200 people and turned over £1.5 m. Although Mayborn Group was at the time heavily loss-making Michael turned it around in 2 years. Michael then sold the Group to 3i private equity in 2006 for approximately £115m.
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2010 — 2018
Chairman
AGL
AGL is an unconventional communications agency. They work with leaders in business, society and education, helping them find the courage to liberate themselves and do what they know is right: to communicate authentically – as people and as organisations.
In The News
Newsfeed
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10 October 2025 · Nursery World
Michael Samuel: Building resilient support in mental health services during times of crisis
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18 May 2023 · The Telegraph
Princess of Wales visits Anna Freud charity
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18 May 2023
Nurturing Mental Health in a Climate-Changing World
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25 November 2022
An open letter to the Prime Minister about the cost-of-living crisis
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20 October 2022
Somerset Community Foundation welcomes new Chair
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10 October 2022 · The Independent
The cost of living crisis is wreaking havoc on our children’s mental health
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25 August 2022
An open letter to the Prime Minister on the cost of living crisis and our mental health system
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13 June 2022 · Children & Young People Now
Understanding early trauma
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9 May 2022 · Children & Young People Now
The Importance of Tackling Loneliness
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10 February 2022 · Alliance Magazine
Kids, Covid, and the cost of mental health
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4 January 2022 · The Independent
Let the next ‘new normal’ be one in which children come first
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Formative Years
Education
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Eton College
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Coopers & Lybrand
Trained as an Accountant
Areas Of Focus