Walter Kerr
Co-founder
Walter set up Oppidan Education from his kitchen in 2016 with Henry after experiences working in Chinese and London schools as a teacher and tutor persuaded him of the need for mentors in young people's lives. In 2019, he co-founded the Oppidan Foundation, a peer mentoring charity for underserved schools, and later, Disco, a now-defunct ed-tech marketplace for live learning. Walter loves the behavioural psychology behind working with young people, lunch with the FT column and any sport going; marathon running and tennis are two long-standing favourites.
Role
Ever since the first days of Oppidan, Walter and Henry's roles continue to dovetail in their director partnership. Walter's focus is everything to do with product: the programmes we develop for schools, the programmes we run privately for parents, and the development and delivery of the research and training behind both.
Education & qualifications
Walter grew up in Hong Kong where his family lived for the first 20 years of his life. Back and forth to the UK for the majority of his childhood, he went to Cothill House (where he first spotted a young Henry Faber on the cricket pitch) before Eton College, Durham University (Theology) and then short stints working as a teacher and tutor in schools in China and London.
Alongside co-founder Henry, Walter has been been recognised by Education Investor (2020 Winner), by the Great British Entrepreneur Awards (2021 Winner) and by Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020) for social entrepreneurship. He is a founding member of the community OPUS, and a governor of Bousfield Primary School.