SCOTTISH entrepreneur Peter O’Hara, CEO and founder of social care software provider OLM, has been awarded an MBE for services to social care in the King’s first Birthday Honours list.
Locally born, Peter was educated and grew up in Gourock, Scotland. He studied at Glasgow College of Technology and worked for the Greater Glasgow Health Board before deciding to continue his education in London.
Peter founded OLM in 1991 with the aim of using technology to make a positive difference to people’s lives, and over the past three decades, has made a significant contribution to the modernisation and advancement of social care delivery. Today, OLM Group is a true market leader in Scotland, and the largest and only independent supplier of social care technology in the UK, with more than 200 staff. OLM has built a vast community via its Glasgow based office, both in terms of clients and the workforce talent, and supports the transformation of health and social care delivery for children and adults across Scotland.
Prior to setting up OLM, Peter held several public sector posts in education, health and local government in Scotland and London. Over the past 33 years, and as the UK social care market has evolved, Peter has steered innovation in OLM to provide next generation technology in the SaaS world via flagship solutions such as ECLIPSE platform for care; Nalytics platform for discovery; and CareKnowledge platform for personal development. Other businesses within the OLM Group include Partners4Change, Hytec, Pavilion Publishing, and Valuing Care. Peter was also the original investor and co-founder in Peppermint Technology Ltd, a specialist software platform focused on the UK legal market which he nurtured from start-up to market entry before exiting through a management buy-out.
Peter, who has dedicated his life to making a positive difference to people across health and social care, said, “I feel deeply honoured and humbled to be named in the King’s Birthday Honours list to receive an MBE for services to social care. Such awards may appear to be individual, but they reflect the dedication and efforts of others who have shared the individual’s passion and helped them on their journey. I owe everything I have done and achieved to the many colleagues I have had the privilege to work with and serve over the past 33 years. This award is a recognition of our collective commitment to make a difference to all who depend on and deliver social care across the UK. My parents instilled in all their children a passionate commitment to endeavour to support others in all we do in life. Social care has been my passion I have been blessed to work and collaborate with so many great people across the sector, I thank them for all the have taught me on my journey.”
Peter’s commitment and passionate belief that social care demonstrates the best of public service, by supporting people in their communities, continues to define the OLM ethos.
