Peter De Haan

Peter De Haan is a businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chairman of The Peter De Haan Charitable Trust and the Chief Executive of leading online arts hub IdeasTap.

In autumn 2008, after noticing the lack of opportunities for young people at the start of their careers as his children graduated, Peter decided to launch online arts charity IdeasTap. Now an independent charity with rapidly growing membership, IdeasTap helps young creatives at the start of their careers. In 2011 he pioneered the Creative Space programme at the Trust’s south London headquarters, offering emerging companies resources in return for a contribution to the IdeasTap creative network.

Previously, as Chief Financial Officer at Saga, Peter gained vast experience in direct and affinity marketing across areas of holidays, publishing and financial services. Selling his share stake in 1999, Peter set up various businesses and the charitable trust, now specialising in youth, arts and environmental projects. The Peter De Haan Charitable Trust has donated over £18,963,000 to the benefit of over 520 organisations since it was constituted in 1999.

As an advocate of the venture philanthrophy model, Peter was quoted in the 2011 Government White Paper on Giving. Outside of business and philanthropy his interests include photography, graphic design and modern furniture.

In 2012 he was awarded the Rothschild Medal in recognition of the outstanding contribution his has made to nature conservation since 2004. Read about it here.

In March 2012 he was named by NESTA in partnership with the Observer as one of Britain’s 50 New Radicals. The list identified people and organisations who are changing Britain for the better; specifically those applying fresh approaches in practical and scalable ways, through social, technological, scientific and artistic methods. Read more here.