PEARSON PLC
Pearson is a British multinational education and assessment company headquartered in London. It provides learning materials, assessments, qualifications, virtual learning, English-language learning, higher-education products and enterprise learning and skills services. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, and has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange through American depositary receipts. In 2025, Pearson reported revenue of £3.6 billion and had an average of about 17,000 employees.
Basic company information
Each field links to its source. Financial figures retain their reporting periods; background references are identified in the source list.
- Business sectors
- publishing; construction [1]
- Company / filing name
- PEARSON PLC [2]
- Headquarters location
- London [1]
- Founded
- 1844 [1]
- Legal form
- public limited company [1]
- Leadership in background record
- Omar Abbosh [1]
- Founders
- Samuel Pearson [1]
- Official website
- www.pearson.com ↗ [1]
- ISIN (reported securities)
- GB0006776081 [1]
- CIK
- 938323 [2]
- Country in background record
- United Kingdom [1]
- Symbols / exchanges
- PSO (NYSE), PSORF (OTC) [2]
Company positioning and business
Pearson is a British multinational education and assessment company headquartered in London. It provides learning materials, assessments, qualifications, virtual learning, English-language learning, higher-education products and enterprise learning and skills services. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, and has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange through American depositary receipts. In 2025, Pearson reported revenue of £3.6 billion and had an average of about 17,000 employees. [3]
The company originated as S. Pearson & Son, a Yorkshire building and civil-engineering contractor founded in the nineteenth century. Under Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, it became one of the world's largest engineering contractors and developed interests in Mexican oil, electricity, finance, coal, aviation and publishing. In the twentieth century Pearson shifted towards publishing and media, acquiring the Financial Times and a stake in The Economist in 1957, Longman in 1968 and Penguin Books in 1970. The company changed its name from S. Pearson & Son plc to Pearson plc in 1984. [3]
Under chief executive Marjorie Scardino, Pearson increasingly focused on education, forming Pearson Education in 1998 after acquiring the education businesses of Simon & Schuster. Between 2015 and 2020 Pearson sold the Financial Times, its stake in The Economist, and its remaining stake in Penguin Random House, leaving education, assessment and learning technology as its core businesses. [3]
Background text: Wikipedia contributors, Pearson plc. Selected introductory paragraphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official filing data is cited separately.
Management and corporate governance
The Wikidata background record identifies Omar Abbosh in the chief-executive role. This background entry is not an official confirmation of the current board or executive roster. [1]
Financial year, securities and disclosures
Listed securities: PSO (NYSE), PSORF (OTC). Multiple symbols may represent different share classes or securities of the same registrant. [2]
History and key events
Founding / inception date recorded in Wikidata. [1]
Financial results and regulatory disclosures
No individual financial documents have been indexed yet. Open the source to consult company disclosures. [2]
Related entities and concepts
Frequently asked questions
When was PEARSON PLC founded?
Founded: 1844. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Where is the headquarters of PEARSON PLC?
Headquarters location: London. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Which business sectors are recorded for PEARSON PLC?
Business sectors: publishing; construction. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Sources and review dates
- Wikidata — company background record (CC0) ↗
- Company identity and profile data ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Pearson plc (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Financial periods and historical event dates are shown separately. Figures reflect their stated source dates; this page is not a live quote or investment recommendation.