Sir Peter Lampl

Honorary graduates 2010-11

Sir Peter Lampl (LLD)

Saturday 22 January 2011, 11:30am

Sir Peter Lampl is acknowledged to be the UK’s leading educational philanthropist. He is the founder and executive chairman of the Sutton Trust which he set up in 1997 and aims to improve social mobility through education. The Trust has funded over 160 research studies. Also it is a ‘do tank’ initiating and supporting a wide range of programmes from early years through to access to the professions. He has given over £50 million of his personal fortune, and devoted 19 years of service to improving education in the UK.

Peter is also chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation which was set up in 2011 by the Sutton Trust with support from Impetus Trust. It was funded by an endowment of £135 million from Government, to improve the performance of the poorest children in the worst performing schools.

Peter is the son of a Viennese émigré who grew up in modest circumstances in Yorkshire until the age of eleven when the family relocated to Surrey for his father’s work. Peter attended Reigate Grammar School and Pate’s Grammar School. He has a Bachelors and Masters Degree from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and an MBA from the London Business School.

After graduating Peter worked briefly as a marketing executive at The Beecham Group in London before spending four years at The Boston Consulting Group in Boston, Paris and Munich. In 1977 Peter joined a BCG client in New York, International Paper, the world’s large paper and forest products company, where he spent six years in senior management positions.

Before establishing the Sutton Trust in 1997, Peter was the founder and chairman of the Sutton Company, a Private Equity firm with offices in New York, London and Munich. Through the Sutton Company Peter acquired a number of companies both in Europe and the United States and became one of the 200 wealthiest people in the UK.

Peter was awarded an OBE in 1999 and was knighted in 2003 in the Queen’s birthday list.

He has Honorary Doctorates from: Birmingham, Bristol, Brunel, City University (London), College of Law, Durham, Exeter, Imperial College (London), Nottingham, Open University, St Andrews. And Honorary Fellowships from: Birkbeck College (London), Corpus Christi College (Oxford), Institute of Education, London Business School, London School of Economics.

For updates on Sir Peter’s news and work please visit www.sirpeterlampl.co.uk.