23 Facts About Ken Olisa

Sir Kenneth Aphunezi Olisa was born on 13 October 1951 and is a British businessman and philanthropist.

Ken Olisa is the first black Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.

Ken Olisa founded and led the AIM-listed technology merchant bank Interregnum and now leads Restoration Partners.

Ken Olisa is Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and has served and serves on several boards of philanthropic, educational and regulator organisations.

Ken Olisa led the team which restored the EAME operation to profitability, following which he launched an unsuccessful management buyout resulting in his departure in 1992.

Ken Olisa then founded Interregnum, a technology merchant bank, leading it through its early growth, its entry into and exit from a joint venture with BDO Stoy Hayward, the AIM IPO in 2000.

Ken Olisa was a principal advisor to, and director of, uDate.

Ken Olisa retired from Interregnum in 2006 and now runs Restoration Partners.

Ken Olisa has considerable public company board-level experience on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ken Olisa was a Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Canada's largest independent software developer, Open Text Corporation.

Ken Olisa serves on the boards of, or is an adviser to, several privately held and innovative companies including the UK's leading corporate governance advisor Independent Audit.

Ken Olisa is Chairman of the Thebes Group and not for profit Shaw Trust.

In November 2017, Ken Olisa succeeded Adedotun Sulaiman as the Chairman of Interswitch and in 2018 he joined the Board of Huawei resigning in March 2022.

In January 2023, Ken Olisa was appointed Chairman of BusinessLDN following the retirement of Paul Drechsler.

Ken Olisa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to homeless people in London, a Commander of the Order of St John in 2017 and a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to business and philanthropy.

Ken Olisa was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London on 29 May 2015.

Ken Olisa received a further honorary doctorate from the University of Worcester in 2019.

Ken Olisa is a Freeman of the City of London; President of Thames Reach, a charity working to shelter and resettle the homeless in London; Founder and Chairman of the Powerlist Foundation ; Fellow of the British Computer Society since 2006; Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; Life Fellow of the Institute of Directors; and, in 2021, he was appointed High Bailiff and Searcher of the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.

On 19 March 2019, Ken Olisa greeted Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cambridge at the opening of the newly refurbished Bush House.

On 17 May 2021, Ken Olisa became High Bailiff and Searcher of the Sanctuary at Westminster Abbey in succession to Sir Roy Strong.

In October 2021 Ken Olisa was elected as an Honorary Bencher of the Inner Temple.

Ken Olisa is a trustee of King Charles III Charitable Fund formerly The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.

Ken Olisa is the patron of Red Trouser Day, a charity which raises awareness of colorectal cancer.