Peter Phillips (businessman)
Peter Phillips | |
|---|---|
 Phillips in 2021 | |
| Born | Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips May 1, 1962 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, strategist |
| Spouse | Clare Higgins |
| Children | 3 |
Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips (born 1 May 1962) is Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge, when it was formed on 1 August 2021.
He is also a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge,[1] a Trustee of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and a Council Member and former President of The Publishers Association.[2][3]
He was previously a trustee of the Nuffield Trust,[4] the Crafts Council, Article 19 and the John Schofield Trust, an adviser to the Royal College of Physicians, Chairman of the Sabre Trust and a director of Parliamentary Broadcasting Limited.
The Bookseller described Phillips as one of the "most influential people in UK publishing”.[5]
Education
[edit]Phillips studied Mathematics at Merton College, Oxford, graduating with first class honours. He also holds a Masters degree from the University of Cambridge and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 2002.
Career
[edit]After graduating from the University of Oxford, Phillips joined the strategy consulting firm Bain & Company, where he spent seven years, before moving on to corporate finance at investment bank SG Warburg.[1]
In 1993, he joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as Head of Corporate Planning and became Finance Director of BBC News in 1997, before being appointed as BBC News’ Chief Operating Officer in 2001. In 2005, he became the BBC’s Director of Business Development, and was responsible for the sale of BBC Broadcast to Australian investment bank, Macquarie Bank, for £166m.[6] The business was subsequently renamed Red Bee Media.
In 2006, Phillips moved to Ofcom, the UK's media and communications regulator, where he was a member of the Board.[7][8] As Partner, Strategy & Market Developments, he was responsible for its approach to reshaping regulation in the light of digital developments, and led its work on the future of public service broadcasting, high-speed broadband, and illegal internet file sharing.[9][10] Early in his tenure, he presented Ofcom's findings into the changing use of electronic devices in the UK which questioned the future of commercial advertising,[11] and was a member of the Steering Board that informed the UK government's 2009 strategic report into a Digital Britain that was sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.[12] In 2007, he led the organisation's call for a national debate on the future of children's television in Britain, given concerns about cultural differences present in imported shows.[13][14] Giving evidence to the House of Lords Communications Committee in 2010, Phillips acknowledged concerns about children's programming in the UK, but stated the output of domestic broadcasters had been driven by parliamentary decisions.[15] In 2008, he presented the findings of the organisation's second consultation into the future of Public Service Broadcasting, which concluded that £145-235 million of replacement public funding would needed by 2012 to keep public service programmes in the UK in addition to the BBC.[16] Phillips and other Board members turned down bonuses in 2009 after the organisation froze the pay of all Ofcom staff during the Great Recession.[17] In 2010, he presented the conclusions of the organisation's 18-month review of early termination charges on landline telephone contracts in the UK. Telephone operators BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media all reduced their exit charges following the regulator's determination of apparent inconsistencies with the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.[18]
In 2010, Phillips moved to Cambridge University Press, the world's oldest media organisation, as Chief Operating Officer.[19] He was appointed as the Press's Chief Executive in 2012.[20] In 2018, Phillips, along with other representatives of the Publishers Association called on the UK government to make sure the country retained its place as ‘the world’s publisher’ during the UK government's Brexit negotiations with the European Union.[21]
In 2021, he became the inaugural Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, formed when the University of Cambridge merged Cambridge University Press with its worldwide assessment arm University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES, also known as Cambridge Assessment).[22]
At the 2022 Education World Forum, Peter Phillips warned of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students' mental health, urging the gathering of education ministers and leaders to "put wellbeing at the heart of everything we do."[23]
In 2024, Phillips argued for “more attention and investment in Africa’s education systems”, in an article for the World Economic Forum.[24] That year he wrote in the Financial Times that "Global economic advancement hinges on educational success in low-income countries."[25]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Peter Phillips | Wolfson College". wolfson.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Interview with Peter Phillips | Publishers Association". publishers.org.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "UK publishing - an economic powerhouse". bookbrunch.co.uk. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "CV of Peter Phillips | Nuffield Trust". nuffieldtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "The Bookseller 150".
- ^ "Corporation sells Broadcast to Australian 'millionaires factory'". theguardian.com. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom Announce New Chairman Sought for 2009". commsbusiness.co.uk. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Ofcom chairman will quit next Easter". theregister.com. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Britons spend half their waking hours using technology, finds Ofcom". telegraph.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom report says technology multi-tasking is rising". bbc.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom report suggests digital revolution could spell the end of advertising as we know it". telegraph.co.uk. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Digital Britain - Final Report". dera.ioe.ac.uk. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Call for debate on children's TV". bbc.co.uk. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Home-grown children's television in peril". theguardian.com. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "The British Film and Television Industries - Communications Committee". parliament.uk. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom publishes its second consultation into the future of Public Service Broadcasting". ofcom.org.uk. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom freezes pay to save £1 million". itpro.co.uk. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Ofcom UK Slashes Early Phone and Broadband ISP Contract Cancellation Charges". ipsreview.co.uk. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Cambridge University Press announces new Chief Operating Officer". cambridge.org. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Peter Phillips is new Chief Exec at CUP". inpublishing.co.uk. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "British publishing can still lead the world after Brexit". theguardian.com. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "CUP and Cambridge Assessment complete merger". thebookseller.com. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Global education in "worst crisis in a century" following pandemic". thepienews.com. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Why the world must look to Africa for education innovation". weforum.org. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Schools progress in poorer states aids global economy". ft.com. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.