PEARSON PLC
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Cash
£543M
+75.7% vs 2023
Net assets
£4B
+1.6% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
17,024
-7.3% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£435M
+25.4% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £3,841,000,000 | £3,674,000,000 | £3,552,000,000 | -3.3% | |
| Operating profit | £398,000,000 | £427,000,000 | £541,000,000 | +26.7% | |
| Profit before tax | £326,000,000 | £347,000,000 | £435,000,000 | +25.4% | |
| Net profit | £244,000,000 | £234,000,000 | £360,000,000 | +53.8% | |
| Cash | £543,000,000 | £309,000,000 | £543,000,000 | +75.7% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £4,394,000,000 | £4,394,000,000 | £4,953,000,000 | +12.7% | |
| Net assets | £3,988,000,000 | £3,988,000,000 | £4,053,000,000 | +1.6% | |
| Equity | £3,988,000,000 | £3,988,000,000 | £4,053,000,000 | +1.6% | |
| Average employees | 20,438 | 18,360 | 17,024 | -7.3% | |
| Wages | £1,252,000,000 | £1,252,000,000 | £1,188,000,000 | -5.1% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | — |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 10.4% | 11.6% | 15.2% | |
| Net margin | 6.4% | 6.4% | 10.1% | |
| Return on capital employed | 9.1% | 9.7% | 10.9% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 40.7% | 40.7% | 41.2% | |
| Current ratio | 1.00x | 1.00x | 1.16x | |
| Interest cover | 5.45x | 5.27x | 4.83x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- PEARSON PLC 1984-06-01 → present
- S. PEARSON & SON PLC 1897-08-12 → 1984-06-01
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- IFRS
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Directors have confirmed that there are no material uncertainties that cast doubt on the Group’s and the parent company’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern over a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements and they have prepared those fi”
Group structure
- PEARSON PLC · parent
- Pearson Education, Inc. 100%
- Pearson Education Limited 100%
Significant events
- “In January 2023, Pearson and Microsoft announced a new strategic partnership to address the global skills gap.”
- “In October 2023, Pearson announced the expansion of the company's long-standing strategic partnership with AWS, which will enhance the delivery of Pearson's AI-powered learning products and services.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
12 active · 51 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALDWIN, Graeme Stuart | Secretary | 2020-07-01 | — | — |
| ABBOSH, Omar Paul | Director | 2024-01-08 | Mar 1966 | British |
| COUTU, Sherry Leigh | Director | 2019-05-01 | Feb 1964 | Canadian |
| DOLAN, Alison Ann | Director | 2023-06-01 | Dec 1969 | Irish |
| HARDIMAN, Alexandra Heffron | Director | 2023-06-01 | Feb 1982 | American |
| HOFFMAN, Arden Mcintyre | Director | 2025-06-01 | Jul 1971 | American |
| KORDESTANI, Omid | Director | 2022-03-01 | Oct 1963 | American |
| LEE, Esther Soo | Director | 2022-02-01 | Dec 1958 | American |
| MAGLARAS, Constantinos | Director | 2025-11-01 | Dec 1969 | Greek |
| PITKETHLY, Graeme David | Director | 2019-05-01 | Nov 1966 | British |
| ROBSON, Simon Glen | Director | 2026-05-08 | Aug 1973 | British |
| THOMAS, Annette Christina | Director | 2021-10-01 | Apr 1965 | British |
Show 51 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASSON, Julia Margaret | Secretary | 1999-08-02 | 2003-07-31 |
| HOFFMAN, Philip Joseph | Secretary | 2003-08-01 | 2015-12-31 |
| JONES, Stephen Andrew | Secretary | 2003-08-01 | 2020-06-30 |
| LAWLESS, Anette Vendelbo | Secretary | — | 1997-10-13 |
| POWNEY, Jane Elizabeth | Secretary | 1999-06-30 | 1999-08-02 |
| VICKERS, Paul Timothy Burnell | Secretary | 1997-10-13 | 1999-06-30 |
| ARCULUS, Thomas David Guy, Sir | Director | 2006-02-28 | 2015-04-24 |
| BARLOW, Frank | Director | — | 1997-05-02 |
| BELL, David Charles Maurice, Sir | Director | 1996-03-15 | 2009-05-01 |
| BIRD, Andrew Peter | Director | 2020-05-01 | 2024-01-07 |
| BLAKENHAM, Michael John, Viscount | Director | — | 1997-05-02 |
| BURNS, Terence, Lord | Director | 1999-05-06 | 2010-04-30 |
| BURRELL, Mark William | Director | — | 1997-05-02 |
| CESCAU, Patrick Jean Pierre | Director | 2002-04-01 | 2012-12-31 |
| CORLEY, Elizabeth Pauline Lucy | Director | 2014-05-01 | 2021-12-31 |
| COX, Vivienne, Dr | Director | 2012-01-01 | 2021-04-30 |
| DAVID-WEILL, Michel Alexandre | Director | — | 2000-03-03 |
| DYKE, Gregory | Director | 1996-03-15 | 1999-09-17 |
| ETHRIDGE, William Thayer | Director | 2008-05-01 | 2013-12-31 |
| FAIRHEAD, Rona Alison | Director | 2002-06-01 | 2013-04-26 |
| FALLON, John Joseph | Director | 2012-10-03 | 2020-10-18 |
| FREESTONE, Robin Anthony David | Director | 2006-06-12 | 2015-08-01 |
| FUHRMAN, Susan Harriet | Director | 2004-07-27 | 2013-08-07 |
| GYLLENHAMMAR, Pehr Gustaf | Director | — | 1997-12-31 |
| HAAS, Jean-Claude | Director | — | 1996-05-03 |
| HALE, John Hampton | Director | — | 1993-05-15 |
| HORNBY, Simon Michael, Sir | Director | — | 1997-05-02 |
| HYDON, Kenneth John | Director | 2006-02-28 | 2015-04-24 |
| JOHNSON, Sally Kate Miranda | Director | 2020-04-24 | 2026-05-07 |
| JOLL, James Anthony Boyd | Director | — | 1996-12-31 |
| JOVANOVICH, Peter William | Director | 2002-06-01 | 2005-01-31 |
| LEWIS, Gillian Margaret | Director | — | 2001-04-27 |
| LEWIS, Salim Joshua | Director | 2011-03-01 | 2020-04-24 |
| LORIMER, Linda Koch | Director | 2013-07-01 | 2023-04-28 |
| LYNTON, Michael Mark | Director | 2018-02-01 | 2021-04-30 |
| MAKINSON, John Crowther | Director | 1996-03-15 | 2013-07-01 |
| MANWANI, Harish | Director | 2013-10-01 | 2018-05-04 |
| MARK, Reuben | Director | — | 2006-04-21 |
| MORENO, Glen Richard | Director | 2005-10-01 | 2015-12-31 |
| PRAHALAD, Coimbatore Krishnarao | Director | 2008-05-01 | 2010-04-16 |
| SANKEY, Vernon Louis | Director | 1993-01-08 | 2006-04-21 |
| SCARDINO, Marjorie Morris, Dame | Director | 1997-01-01 | 2012-12-31 |
| SCORE, Timothy, Dr | Director | 2015-01-01 | 2024-04-26 |
| STEVENSON, Henry Dennistoun, The Lord | Director | — | 2005-10-01 |
| TALWAR, Gurvirendra Singh | Director | 2000-03-20 | 2007-04-30 |
| TAUREL, Sidney | Director | 2016-01-01 | 2022-04-29 |
| VEIT, David Michael | Director | — | 1998-05-01 |
| VEREY, David John, Sir | Director | 1996-05-03 | 2000-03-03 |
| VEREY, David John, Sir | Director | 1995-06-30 | 1996-05-03 |
| WALLEN, Lincoln Anthony | Director | 2016-01-01 | 2025-12-31 |
| WILLIAMS, Coram | Director | 2015-08-01 | 2020-04-24 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 4545 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-12 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-05-12 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-05-12 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-05-12 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2026-05-12 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2026-05-12 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2026-05-08 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-05-07 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-04-29 | SH01 | capital | Capital allotment shares | |
| 2026-04-29 | SH01 | capital | Capital allotment shares | |
| 2026-04-21 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-04-21 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-04-21 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2026-04-21 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2026-04-15 | SH01 | capital | Capital allotment shares | |
| 2026-04-15 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-03-31 | SH01 | capital | Capital allotment shares | |
| 2026-03-30 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-03-30 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2026-03-30 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 20
- Capital events
- 18
- Officers appointed
- 3
- Officers resigned
- 2
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.