BPP Holdings

BPP Holdings Limited is a holding company of the United Kingdom-based provider of professional and academic education. It has been a subsidiary of the American for-profit higher education company Apollo Global since July 2009, having formerly been listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

BPP Holdings Limited
TypeWholly owned subsidiary
IndustryEducation
Founded1976 (1976)
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Key people
Graham Gaddes, (CEO)
OwnerApollo Global
DivisionsBPP Learning Media
BPP Professional Education
BPP University
Websitebpp.com

History

The company was founded by Alan Brierley, Richard Price and Charles Prior in 1976 as Brierley Price Prior to provide training to accountancy students.[1] It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1987. Also in 1987 the company acquired Mander Portman Woodward, a provider of Fifth and Sixth Form teaching.[2] Then in 1992 the company established BPP Law School which in 2005 became a founding School of BPP College of Professional Studies, which provides legal as well as business management training.[1] In 2007 the Privy Council awarded BPP College powers to award degrees.[3] The company was acquired by Apollo Global for £368 million[4] in July 2009.[5] In July 2010 BPP College was awarded University college status.[6] In August 2013, BPP University College was granted full university status and now is known as BPP University.[7]

In December 2020, several media outlets, including The Lawyer and Legal Cheek, reported that BPP's Public Relations team had been warned by Wikipedia for “disruptive editing” practices on the page for the BPP Holdings-owned BPP University, and ended up being “banned indefinitely” from editing the online encyclopaedia.[8][9] Whilst stating that the edits were “minor”, a BPP spokesperson said the company will henceforth “follow Wikipedia’s guidance” for editing. A spokesperson for BPP's PR agency Gerard Kelly & Partners (GKP), which was on the receiving end of the ban, issued a statement stating that the BPP PR team will henceforth follow guidelines on editing “as advised by Wikipedia.”[10]

References
  1. "BPP Profile" (PDF).
  2. Robert Woodward: teacher and entrepreneur The Independent, 15 November 2008
  3. FTSE company wins right to give degrees The Times, 25 September 2007
  4. Fearn, Hannah (4 August 2009). "Apollo completes BPP takeover". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  5. "BBP Holdings PLC (UK): Scheme Of Arrangement". FTSE Group. 27 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  6. BPP wins university college status as David Willetts acts on pledge to boost private providers Times Higher Education, 26 July 2010
  7. "For-profit college gains full university status". August 8, 2013 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. Mehta, Amar. "BPP's PR team blocked from Wikipedia for promotional edits". The Lawyer. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  9. Dennison, James. "BPP warned by Wikipedia for "disruptive editing"". RollOnFriday. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  10. Connelly, Thomas. "BPP accused of 'disruptive editing' by Wikipedia". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
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