Damon Buffini

Sir Damon Marcus Buffini (born 1962)[1] is a British businessman and governor of the Wellcome Trust.[2] He was formerly head of the private equity company Permira.[3][4]

Sir Damon Buffini
Born	Damon Marcus Buffini May 1962 (age 58)[1] Leicester, England
Nationality	British
Education	St John's College, Cambridge Harvard Business School
Occupation	Businessman
Employer	Wellcome Trust Permira Schroder Ventures Europe LEK Partnership
Spouse(s)	Deborah Buffini
Children	3

Education and early life

Born in Leicester in 1962,[1] the son of an African-American serviceman and a British woman, he was educated in Leicester and graduated with a degree in Law from St John's College, Cambridge, and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.[3]

Career

Buffini was ranked first in the men's Top 10 of the 2007 Powerlist, a publication ranking the most influential Black Britons. [5] Buffini's influence has also been recognised in Business, having ranked number three by the Times Power 100 for people who hold sway over British Business.[6] Boasting power and influence, together with a personal fortune of between £100m and £200m., Buffini was appointed to then Prime Minister Gordon Brown's business advisory panel.[7]

Buffini worked for L.E.K Consulting, and under the firm's scholarship scheme undertook an MBA from Harvard Business School.[3] On return to the UK he joined Imperial Group working as a management consultant, before being recruited by Jon Moulton (now head of rival firm Better Capital), in 1988 to join Schroders leveraged buyout team, known then as Schroder Ventures Europe.[8]

Buffini became a partner in 1992, and was promoted to managing partner of the UK business in 1999, and managing partner in 2000, just before he led a management buyout group and renamed the firm Permira.[3] Buffini took home £3.2 million plus bonuses in 2004.[3]

Buffini was also a non-executive board member of SVG Capital plc[1] and chairman and co-founder of the Social Business Trust.

Buffini established The Buffini Chao Foundation with his wife Lady Buffini in 2005. https://www.buffinichao.com/

He is a main board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a trustee of the Royal Anniversary Trust, which administers The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education.

In September 2012 Buffini was appointed to the board of governors at The Wellcome Trust.[2]

In July 2020, the UK Government announced Buffini as chair of the Culture Recovery Board, an administrative body tasked with managing the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund intended to protect UK arts and heritage assets during the Covid-19 crisis.[9]

Awards and honours

Buffini was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for voluntary and charitable services.[10]

Personal life

Married to a solicitor Deborah, the couple have three children and a family home in Weybridge[11] and a city flat in Wandsworth. Buffini plays tennis and golf, football for a local amateur side, and supports Arsenal.[12]

References

1. "Damon Marcus BUFFINI". London: Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
2. Anon (2016). "Board of Governors". wellcome.ac.uk. London: Wellcome Trust. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
3. "Profile of Buffini at Permira". permira.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2007.
4. "The Times & The Sunday Times". www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
5. "The real black power list of 100 leading role models". the Guardian. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
6. Inventive and dynamic risk-takers who changed the face of Britain – Times Online (subscription required)
7. Eboda, Michael (26 August 2007). "The real black power list of 100 leading role models". Retrieved 21 February 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
8. Griffiths, Ian (6 November 2004). "Permira boss takes home £3.2m - and no surprise as spotlight falls on Buffini". Retrieved 21 February 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
9. "Dowden: 'Jump-start' for UK's leading creative industries". GOV.UK.
10. "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B2.
11. Invisible man forced into view by his golden touch – Times Online (subscription required)
12. Jill Treanor (2007). "Profile: Damon Buffini, The football fan who calls the shots". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016.