Peter Horrocks is a British media executive and academic administrator who held senior leadership positions at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Open University.
Horrocks joined the BBC in 1981 as a news trainee. Over a career spanning more than 30 years at the corporation, he held several high-profile editorial roles, including serving as the editor of the current affairs programs Newsnight (1994–1997) and Panorama (1997–2000). He was also the lead editor for the BBC's television coverage of the 1997, 2001, and 2005 UK general elections. In 2009, he was appointed Director of the BBC World Service Group, where he oversaw the organization's international news services across radio, television, and digital platforms in multiple languages.
In 2015, Horrocks transitioned to higher education administration upon his appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of the Open University (OU). During his tenure, he focused on digital transformation and addressing the financial sustainability of the institution amidst changes in the United Kingdom's higher education funding models. His leadership faced significant scrutiny during a period of proposed structural reorganization, and he resigned from the post in April 2018.
Horrocks was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for his services to broadcasting. Since leaving the Open University, he has been involved in various consultancy and advisory roles within the media and education sectors, including serving as a member of the board for the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
