Sir Ken Olisa OBE, CStJ, FRSA, FBCS
Biography
Born in Nottingham and educated in State schools and Cambridge University, Ken has worked at IBM and Wang after which he founded 2 technology merchant banks.
His business career has included serving as the first British-born black director of a FTSE-100 company (Reuters) and on the Boards of major companies including Open Text, ENRC, Huawei (UK) and Nigeria’s Interswitch.
His charitable passions include President of London homeless charity Thames Reach (for which he received an OBE), Chair of welfare to work charity Shaw Trust, founding Chair of the Aleto Foundation, supporting future leaders from tough reality backgrounds.
In the past he has served as a Governor of the Peabody Trust and a Director of the West Lambeth NHS Trust.
His wider public service roles have included inaugural membership of the Postal Services Commission and IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority).
In 2015 Her Majesty the Queen appointed Ken as her Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London – the first British-born black Lord-Lieutenant in the role’s 500 year history.
He was knighted in the 2018 New Year’s Honours for services to business and philanthropy.