Cookson left The Kingsway School in Stockport at the age of 16 with one GCSE to take up a junior IT position under an Apprenticeship scheme for a company called Pantek. He progressed to become a contract website developer for a range of different blue-chip organisations around the UK.
Career
Myprotein
In 2004, Cookson established the business Myprotein using an overdraft of £500. He founded the company from his bedroom, trading from a lock-up garage in Greater Manchester initially. The company manufactures and sells sports nutrition products and protein foods through its website and became the market leader in the segment. Products include protein powders, amino acids, vitamins, ready-to-drink products, omega oils and other items to help people build muscle, lose weight and supplement their diets.Celebrities who use Myprotein products include Rugby players Kyle Eastmond and Dan Hipkiss, sprinter Craig Pickering and multiple footballers. On 1 June 2011, Cookson sold Myprotein to The Hut Group for £58 million. Cookson remained on the board of directors of The Hut Group until October 2012 when he resigned from the board but retained his shares. He was reappointed as Non Executive Director in 2020.
Later career
On 1 November 2011, Cookson established the business Monocore launching multiple consumer nutrition brands, including GoNutrition, before fully exiting the company in 2019. He then founded investment vehicle OSC Group according to Companies House.
Controversy
In 2001, Cookson was fined £600 and ordered to complete 200 hours community service after pleading guilty to incitement under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, having discovered a system which allowed viewers to see pay-per-view channels for free.
Litigation with The Hut Group
Oliver Cookson was involved in a long running case of litigation with The Hut Group over the sale of Myprotein in 2011 and the valuations that each side had put on their business. Following a trial in The High Court in London in October 2014, Mr Justice William Blair – the brother of former Prime Minister Tony Blair – awarded The Hut Group £4m over breached warranties, but also awarded Cookson the sum of £10.8m in relation to a counterclaim. Mr Justice Blair ordered that The Hut Group should pay its own costs and meet one third of those incurred by Mr Cookson and the Trust. In 2019, Cookson brought High Court documents alleging new shares in The Hut Group were issued to investors without Cookson's approval after the co-sale rights were removed, reducing Cookson's shareholding from 11.6pc to 8.3pc between February 2016 and May 2018.
Charitable Work
Oliver Cookson is a major donor to Caudwell Children's Charity.
