Peter Phillips (businessman)
Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1962 |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Known for | Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press & Assessment |
Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips (born 1 May 1962) serves as the Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a non-academic division of the University of Cambridge that was established on 1 August 2021.
He holds a Fellowship at Wolfson College, Cambridge, acts as a Trustee for the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, and is both a Council Member and former President of The Publishers Association. His previous roles include trustee positions at the Nuffield Trust, the Crafts Council, Article 19, and the John Schofield Trust. Additionally, he has provided advisory support to the Royal College of Physicians, chaired the Sabre Trust, and served on the board of Parliamentary Broadcasting Limited.
The Bookseller has recognized Phillips as one of the "most influential figures in UK publishing."
Education
Phillips graduated with first-class honours in Mathematics from Merton College, Oxford, earned a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, and completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 2002.
Career
Phillips launched his professional journey with seven years at strategy consultancy Bain & Company before transitioning to corporate finance at investment bank SG Warburg. In 1993, he joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as Head of Corporate Planning. He advanced to Finance Director of BBC News in 1997 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2001. From 2005, as BBC’s Director of Business Development, he managed the £166 million sale of BBC Broadcast to Australian investment firm Macquarie Bank, which was subsequently rebranded as Red Bee Media.
In 2006, Phillips became a Board member and Partner for Strategy & Market Developments at media regulator Ofcom. He spearheaded projects related to digital regulation, public service broadcasting, high-speed broadband deployment, and efforts to curb illegal online file sharing. He contributed to the UK government’s 2009 Digital Britain report and encouraged national discussions around children’s television content. In 2008, he presented Ofcom’s recommendation for £145-235 million in public funding by 2012 to support UK public service programming alongside the BBC. After a salary freeze during the Great Recession, he chose not to accept bonuses in 2009. In 2010, he led Ofcom’s review that resulted in major telecom providers lowering early termination fees.
Phillips joined Cambridge University Press as Chief Operating Officer in 2010 and was promoted to Chief Executive two years later. Representing the Publishers Association in 2018, he called on the UK government to maintain Britain’s status as a leading global publishing hub amid Brexit discussions.
In 2021, Phillips was appointed as the first Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, created by merging Cambridge University Press with its international assessment division, UCLES (Cambridge Assessment).
At the 2022 Education World Forum, he underscored the effects of Covid-19 on student mental health, advocating for wellbeing to be prioritized within education policy frameworks.
In 2024, Phillips called for enhanced investment in Africa’s educational infrastructure through an article published by the World Economic Forum and stressed in the Financial Times that worldwide economic advancement hinges on educational development in lower-income nations.