Sir Peter Thomas Wanless, (born 25 September 1964) is an English

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

and former civil servant. Since 2013, he has been the chief executive officer of the

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...

(NSPCC). In June 2022, he was appointed President of Somerset County Cricket Club. In July 2014, he was appointed by the British government to head a review into historical sex abuse claims.

Early life

Wanless was born on 25 September 1964. He was educated at

Sheldon School Sheldon School (formerly Chippenham Boys' High School) is a large mixed secondary school and sixth form in Chippenham, Wiltshire for students aged 11 to 18 and is the largest school in Wiltshire. Since April 2011, it has been an Academy. It is ...

, then a comprehensive school in Chippenham, Wiltshire. He then studied International History and Politics at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, graduating with a BA degree in 1986. He has since studied on the Advanced Management Programme at

Insead INSEAD, a contraction of "Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires" () is a non-profit business school that maintains campuses in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), and North America (San ...

Career

After joining the Civil Service, he held a variety of posts at the

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ...

, including Head of Private Finance Policy, and

Principal Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to three Cabinet Ministers. including

Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as '' Great British Railway Journeys'' and '' Great Continental Railway Jour ...

, both when Portillo was

Chief Secretary to the Treasury The chief secretary to the Treasury is a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom. The office is the second most senior in the Treasury, after the chancellor of the Exchequer. The office was created in 1961, to share the burde ...

and later as Secretary of State for Employment. Wanless later held senior positions within the Department for Education and Skills and its successor the

Department for Children, Schools and Families Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was replac ...

, including Director of School Performance and Reform and Director of Strategy and Communications. Wanless was CEO of the

Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes". Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to ...

between February 2008 and May 2013. Since June 2013, he has been the chief executive officer of the

(NSPCC). He was a non-executive director of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), which operates academy schools in

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...

. He is currently a Trustee of th
5Rights Foundation
and a member of the advisory board of the

UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

'
National Leadership Centre

Wanless Inquiry

In July 2014,

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...

announced that he would be leading a review into historical sex abuse claims. His report, written with Richard Whittam QC, was published in November 2014. It "found nothing to support a concern that files had been deliberately or systematically removed or destroyed to cover up organised child abuse", but also said that it was "not possible to say whether files were ever removed or destroyed to cover up or hide allegations of organised or systematic child abuse by particular individuals because of the systems then in place".

Personal life

Married with one son, the family live in

Seal, Kent Seal is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located in the valley between the North Downs and the Greensand ridge, and to the north-east of the town of Sevenoaks in West Kent. History In early d ...

. Wanless is a lifelong supporter of Somerset County Cricket Club where he serves on the committee. He describes himself as a "fan of jangly guitars, indie pop, Somerset cricket, Borgen....". In June 2022, Wanless was appointed President of Somerset County Cricket Club.

Honours

Wanless was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2007 New Year Honours for his role as Director of School Performance and Reform in the Department for Education and Skills. He was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to children, young people and the charitable sector.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanless, Peter 1964 births Living people People educated at Sheldon School Alumni of the University of Leeds British civil servants British business executives Companions of the Order of the Bath National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people Knights Bachelor People from Seal, Kent Somerset County Cricket Club presidents