Sir Peter Ogden
Trustee, Founder and former Chair
Published: 18 August 2021
Sir Peter Ogden founded The Ogden Trust in 1998 and is now a trustee, having stepped down as chair in 2017.
“It seemed natural to me that I should support education. It is the one thing that levels the playing field between people who have economic or social privilege and those who do not. I believe that education guarantees a fairer society.”
Sir Peter was educated at Lowerplace Primary School, Rochdale and Rochdale Grammar School, which he entered as an 11+ pupil. From there he went to Durham University to study physics where he was awarded the Pemberton Scholarship and graduated with a BSc in physics and a PhD in particle physics. He went on to complete an MBA at Harvard Business School before a career in investment banking in both the UK and the US, principally with Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. In 1981, Sir Peter co-founded the computer services company Computacenter PLC and in 1982 the financial software company Computasoft which was subsequently renamed Dealogic PLC. He was Executive Chairman of Computacenter from 1981–1997and Chairman of Dealogic until 2014.
The Trust has maintained strong links with Durham University through its support of physics education and has partnered with the University in the building of the first and second Ogden Centres for Fundamental Physics at Durham. Sir Peter is a Governor of Westminster School and a Patron of SHINE (Support and Help In Education).
Sir Peter received a knighthood for services to education from Her Majesty the Queen, at Buckingham Palace on 9 February 2005.