Wharton Faculty & Staff >> Biography

Peter Winn is the President and Founder of EF English First Professional English. English First Professional English is the largest China operating unit of Education First, the world’s largest private education company and market-leading provider of language training services globally. In China, recognized by its eye-catching pink and blue logo, English First is now the country’s leading language training brand with over 70,000 young professional students and 200 schools, including 40 urban training centers across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Tianjin.

EF was recognized through consumer surveys as China’s Most Admired Training Brand by Sohu.com in 2007, China’s Most Valuable Training Brand by Tencent.com in 2008 and as one of China’s Top 50 Consumer Brands by Sohu.com in 2010. Mr. Winn was awarded the Education Sector Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 by Sohu.com. In 2008 EF was chosen as official language training provider of the Beijing Olympic Games, in 2010 was selected to provide similar services for the Guangzhou Asia Games, and in 2011 was chosen as the official trainer of the China Miss Universe competition.

Mr. Winn has over 15 years of experience in greater China in operations management and strategy, online and offline marketing, finance and multi-site retail development. Prior to joining English First, he held executive positions in mainland China and Hong Kong with McKinsey & Co., Morgan Stanley and Wharf Holdings. Mr. Winn received a BA in Politics from Princeton University, an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton Business School. He speaks Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. In his spare time, Mr. Winn is an avid ultra-distance trail runner and has participated on winning teams in international competitions across greater China.