Sir Graham Wrigley (1982)

Graham came to St John’s College in 1982 to read Economics and Law, before starting his business career with Bain. He went on to become a founding partner of Permira and served on its management team as it grew to a leading global private equity firm. In 2006, he stepped away from private equity to pursue a new career in international development, completing an MSc in Development Economics at SOAS. Since then, Graham has worked across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in a variety of roles.

From 2013 to 2022, he served as Chairman of British International Investment (formerly CDC), overseeing a period of significant growth, with annual investments exceeding $2 billion and major contributions to infrastructure, including over 6 per cent of power generation in Sub-Saharan Africa. He also led the organisation through the passing of the £12 billion CDC Act in 2018. In Nepal, Graham founded Samriddha Pahad in 2009, a microfinance organisation now spearheading efforts to establish Kangchenjunga as Nepal’s first UNESCO World Biosphere. He is also Chair of Sir Ed Hillary’s Himalayan Trust UK.

Graham was awarded a KCMG in 2020 for services to international development. He served on the St John’s Investment Committee from 2001 to 2015 and was made an Honorary Fellow in 2025. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, where he was a Visiting Professor for 10 years, is currently a Visiting Fellow at Reuben College, Oxford, and serves as a Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey. Together with his wife, Mia, he set up Chilworth Manor Vineyard in 2013.