Peter Phillips (businessman)

Last updated

Peter Phillips
Peter Phillips location - preferred.jpg
Peter Phillips in Cambridge University Press & Assessment’s office in Cambridge
Personal details
Born
Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips
NationalityBritish
SpouseClare Higgins
Children3
Alma mater
Occupation Chief Executive
ProfessionBusiness leader, strategist

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.

Contents

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

Phillips studied Mathematics at Merton College, University of 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

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 given the UK economic downturn caused by the financial crisis of 2007-2008. [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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel 4</span> British free-to-air television channel

Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded entirely by its commercial activities, including publicity. It began its transmission in 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in the United Kingdom. At the time, the only other channels were the licence-funded BBC1 and BBC2, and a single commercial broadcasting network ITV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge University Press</span> Publishing business of the University of Cambridge

Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofcom</span> British government agency

The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Rusbridger</span> Newspaper journalist and editor

Alan Charles Rusbridger is a British journalist and editor of Prospect magazine. He was formerly editor-in-chief of The Guardian and then principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David King (chemist)</span> South African-born British chemist

Sir David Anthony King is a South African-born British chemist, academic, and head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Schofield</span> English television personality (born 1962)

Phillip Bryan Schofield is an English television presenter. He began his career as a Children's BBC continuity announcer from 1985 to 1987, and went on to present a wide range of high-profile programmes for the BBC and ITV, including Going Live! (1987–1993), This Morning (2002–2023), Dancing on Ice, All Star Mr & Mrs (2008–2016), and The Cube. As an actor, he played the leading roles in the musicals Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Doctor Dolittle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of mass media in the United Kingdom

There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. The United Kingdom is known for its large music industry, along with its new and upcoming artists. The country also has a large broadcasting, film, video games and book publishing industries.

<i>This Morning</i> (TV programme) British daytime television programme

This Morning is a British daytime magazine programme that is broadcast on ITV. It debuted on 3 October 1988 and is broadcast live every weekday from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The programme features a variety of news, as well as show business, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, home and garden, food, tech, live phone-ins, and competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Winter</span> British Islamic scholar

Timothy John Winter; 15 May 1960 is an English academic, theologian and Islamic scholar who is a proponent of Islamic neo-traditionalism. His work includes publications on Islamic theology, modernity, and Anglo-Muslim relations, and he has translated several Islamic texts.

Stewart Peter Purvis CBE is a British broadcaster, broadcasting executive, author and academic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Hodgson</span>

Dame Patricia Anne Hodgson, is a British broadcasting executive, competition regulator, and academic administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital radio in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital radio networks, with about 500 transmitters, three national DAB ensembles, one regional DAB ensemble, 48 local DAB ensembles and an increasing number of small-scale DAB ensembles broadcasting over 250 commercial and 34 BBC radio stations across the UK. In London there are already more than 100 different digital stations available. In addition to DAB and DAB+, radio stations are also broadcast on digital television platform as well as internet radio in the UK. Digital radio ensemble operators and stations need a broadcasting licence from the UK's media regulator Ofcom to broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siren FM</span> Radio station in Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Siren Radio, sometimes known as Siren and formerly as Siren FM, is a community radio station based at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts to the city of Lincoln on 107.3 FM and at its website, Siren Online.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,900 are in public-sector broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Bailey (banker)</span> British central banker

Andrew John Bailey is a British central banker and Governor of the Bank of England since 16 March 2020.

YouView is a hybrid television platform in the United Kingdom developed by YouView TV Ltd., a partnership of four broadcasters, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5; and three telecommunications operators, Arqiva, BT Group and TalkTalk Group.

Sonita Alleyne, is the Barbados-born British co-founder and former CEO of Somethin’ Else, a cross-platform media production company. Alleyne is a member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Master of Jesus College, Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's TV</span> Network of local television services in the United Kingdom

That's TV is a national television network in the United Kingdom, broadcasting via Sky, Freesat, Freeview, and Virgin Media. That's TV started off as the owner of a number of local television licences in several conurbations, but even though regional news can still be found via these services, these channels simulcast the classic hits and television schedule of the national That's TV channel for most of the day.That's Television Ltd is owned by That's Media Ltd, which is based at The Flint Glass Works in the Ancoats neighbourhood of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GB News</span> British television news channel

GB News is a British free-to-air opinion-orientated news television and radio channel. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus and YouTube. An audio simulcast of the station is also available on DAB+ radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge University Press & Assessment</span> Non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge. It was formed in August 2021, when the University of Cambridge merged Cambridge University Press, the world’s oldest academic publisher, and Cambridge Assessment.

References

  1. 1 2 "Peter Phillips | Wolfson College". wolfson.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. "Interview with Peter Phillips | Publishers Association". publishers.org.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. "UK publishing - an economic powerhouse". bookbrunch.co.uk. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  4. "CV of Peter Phillips | Nuffield Trust". nuffieldtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  5. "The Bookseller 150".
  6. "Corporation sells Broadcast to Australian 'millionaires factory'". theguardian.com. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  7. "Ofcom Announce New Chairman Sought for 2009". commsbusiness.co.uk. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  8. "Ofcom chairman will quit next Easter". theregister.com. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  9. "Britons spend half their waking hours using technology, finds Ofcom". telegraph.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  10. "Ofcom report says technology multi-tasking is rising". bbc.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  11. "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.
  12. "Digital Britain - Final Report". dera.ioe.ac.uk. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  13. "Call for debate on children's TV". bbc.co.uk. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  14. "Home-grown children's television in peril". theguardian.com. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  15. "The British Film and Television Industries - Communications Committee". parliament.uk. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  16. "Ofcom publishes its second consultation into the future of Public Service Broadcasting". ofcom.org.uk. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  17. "Ofcom freezes pay to save £1 million". itpro.co.uk. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  18. "Ofcom UK Slashes Early Phone and Broadband ISP Contract Cancellation Charges". ipsreview.co.uk. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  19. "Cambridge University Press announces new Chief Operating Officer". cambridge.org. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  20. "Peter Phillips is new Chief Exec at CUP". inpublishing.co.uk. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  21. "British publishing can still lead the world after Brexit". theguardian.com. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  22. "CUP and Cambridge Assessment complete merger". thebookseller.com. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  23. "Global education in "worst crisis in a century" following pandemic". thepienews.com. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  24. "Why the world must look to Africa for education innovation". weforum.org. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.