Peter Kendal Hargreaves CBE (born 5 October 1946)
Early life
Hargreaves was born in
Clitheroe and educated at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School in Lancashire.
[ Bristol’s deadly duo hit the City The Times, 6 May 2007]
Career
Trained as an accountant,
[ Peter Hargreaves initially worked as a computer salesman.][ He then started Hargreaves Lansdown trading from a bedroom in 1981; in 2010, he stood down as chief executive and, in the same year, received £18 million in dividends. He was succeeded as CEO by Ian Gorham. His wealth was reported at £2,315 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2017, making him the 51st richest person in the UK.][ Peter Hargreaves: My First Million Financial Times] In March 2016 he joined the Leave.EU movement to campaign for the UK's exit from the European Union.
It was announced in August 2020 that Hargreaves would receive £63.4 million in dividends after Hargreaves Lansdown's profits increased by 24% to £378.3 million in the 12 months leading up to 30 June 2020.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2020 his net worth was estimated at £2.4 billion.
In April 2025, Hargreaves nominated himself as a non-executive board member of Hargreaves Lansdown, which he is able to do as a shareholder.
In October 2025, Hargreaves stepped down from the board of Hargreaves Lansdown and appointed his son as his replacement.
In February 2026, Peter Hargreaves was listed on the Sunday Times Tax list with his wealth estimated as £210 million.
Honours
Hargreaves was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to business innovation, financial services and the City of Bristol.
Politics
Hargreaves financially supported the Leave.EU campaign in 2016,
In May 2016, Hargreaves said that Brexit will lead to insecurity, which will turn out to be very effective.[ 'Like Dunkirk': Brexit donor trumpets 'fantastic insecurity' of leaving EU, The Guardian 12 May 2016] Hargreaves said that Theresa May should reassure the three million EU nationals already in the UK that their current rights would be maintained.
Hargreaves donated £1 million to the Conservatives’ election fund in 2019.
Personal life
In 1986 he married Rosemary; they have one son and one daughter.[ Fame & Fortune: Peter Hargreaves The Times, 22 March 2009] They live in a Georgian property in the West Country.[
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