Sir Clive Cowdery (born 26 May 1963) is an English businessman who made a personal fortune in the insurance industry and has since donated large amounts to charity.
Born of Anglo Danish parentage, Cowdery is the second eldest of five siblings and went to what was, at the time of his attendance, known as Clevedon Comprehensive School (now known as Clevedon Community School), from 1974 to 1981.
Cowdery is Founder of Resolution, an Insurance Investment Firm, which has consolidated over US$200bn of assets in Britain and the U.S. since 2004.
His first Resolution vehicle consolidated four major UK closed life insurance assets. The FTSE100 insurer was sold to Pearl Group in 2008.
His second Resolution vehicle merged FTSE100 insurer Friends Provident with AXA’s UK life business and other assets. The company was sold to Aviva in 2015.
These two completed projects made significant total returns for shareholders.
In 2013, his first Resolution business in the US acquired an insurance asset from Allstate Corporation and is currently engaged in further acquisitions.
From 1998-2003 Cowdery was Chairman and Chief Executive of General Electric Insurance Holdings, with operations in 12 countries across Europe.
From its formation, Resolution has devoted half its profits and capital gains to the Resolution Foundation, an independent Social and Economic research organisation set up by Clive Cowdery in 2005. It is now widely seen as Britain's leading authority on Low Earners and the policy responses required to lift their Living Standards.
Cowdery is majority owner of Prospect Magazine and a member of the Governing Council of The Institute for New Economic Thinking.
Cowdery was knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to children and social mobility.