This British fintech CEO just got given a royal role that dates back to King Henry VIII

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Ken Olisa   H&S

Restoration Partners

Ken Olisa is the founder of technology merchant bank Restoration Partners.

Ken Olisa, the first British-born black man to serve as a Director of a FTSE 100 company Reuters and the founder of two merchant banks that target the technology sector, just got appointed as the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.

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Olisa, 64, who has already received an OBE from the Queen, will assume his role as of today. The role as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London is a position that dates back to King Henry VIII. In the past, the Lord-Lieutenant would perform a raft of tasks that ranged from raising local militia units to organising numerous ceremonial duties.

The Greater London Lieutenancy office says the the responsibilities of Lord-Lieutenants now include:

  • Arranging visits of members of the Royal family and escorting royal visitors
  • Presenting medals and awards on behalf of the Sovereign, and advising on Honours nominations
  • Participating in civic, voluntary and social activities within the lieutenancy
  • Liaising with local units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, Royal Air Force and their associated cadet forces
  • Leading the local magistracy as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace

Olisa, who lives in Hampton Wick with his wife Julia, started off his career at IBM in the 1970s and joined Wang Laboratories in 1981. In 1992, he founded his first tech merchant bank Interregnum and then in 2006 he founded his second, Restoration Partners.

While he serves as a non executive director of Thomson Reuters where he is a member of the Audit Committee, amongst others, he does a heavy amount of charity work.

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He is the Chair of Thames Reach, a charity for social inclusion which aims to shelter and resettle the homeless, Chair of the Shaw Trust, which supported the disabled and chronically unemployed to find work, as well as a number of foundations that help those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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