Old Alleynian Association President
Sir Peter Riddell CBE (OA 1959 – 1966)
Peter Riddell is a British journalist and author. He worked for the Financial Times from 1970 to 1991. From April 2016 to September 2021 he served as the British government's Commissioner for Public Appointments, and is the former director of the Institute for Government.
As Commissioner for Public Appointments between 2016 and 2021, Peter was responsible for ensuring that appointments to boards of public bodies were made on merit after fair and open competition.
He was formerly Director of the Institute for Government from 2012 until 2016, where he had previously been a part-time Senior Fellow, at the same time as working for the Detainee Inquiry, a Privy Counsellor panel looking at whether the British Government was implicated in the improper treatment of detainees held by other countries. At the Institute, he was closely involved in its work on political and constitutional reform.
Until mid-2010, Peter was a journalist for nearly 40 years, split between the Financial Times and The Times, where he had been their domestic political analyst and commentator. He has been a regular broadcaster, has written seven books and delivered frequent lectures. Peter chaired the Hansard Society, a non-partisan charity which promotes understanding of Parliament and representative democracy, for five years until mid-2012. He carried out the triennial review of the Committee on Standards in Public Life for the Cabinet Office in late 2012. Peter has received two honorary doctorates, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Political Studies Association and was one of the first recipients of the President’s medal of the British Academy. He was appointed to the Privy Council in July 2010 in order to serve on the Detainee Inquiry and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to journalism and for public service and he was he was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for public service.
Peter served as a Governor of Dulwich College from 2009, initially on the Education Committee before stepping down in 2020 after five years. Peter was made a Fellow of Dulwich College in 2021.
Born in Torquay Peters father was a solicitor who served in the RAF during World War II. Peter lived in Streatham, London during his early life attending Dulwich College, a Senior Prefect in 1966 he then graduated from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge with a BA in history and economics and an MA.
Peter is married to Avril and they have one daughter.
