Maurice Samuel Ostro
Born	(1965-02-16) 16 February 1965 (age 59)
Nationality	British
Education	Oxford University, Wadham College
Occupation	Entrepreneur & Philanthropist
Known for	Business, charity and interfaith relations
Spouse	Katy Ostro
Children	Eliana Ostro, Tamara Ostrowiecki and Michael Ostro

Maurice Samuel Ostro OBE (born 16 February 1965) is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist. His business interests have included gemstones, media distribution, property, frozen yogurt, airline catering and logistics. ^[1] His philanthropic activities include supporting entrepreneurship, interfaith relations and economic development.

Ostro was awarded the OBE ( Order of the British Empire) in 2014, for services to business, charity and interfaith relations. ^{[2] [3]} He has also been appointed a KFO (Knight of the Royal Order of Francis I). ^[4]

Ostro is an alumnus of the Gemological Institute of America, Harvard Business School and New York University. In 1987 he gained a Masters in Jurisprudence at Oxford University’s Wadham College and was then admitted to the New York Bar in 1988. ^[5]

Ostro started his career in the gemstone industry after becoming a graduate gemologist in the early 1980s.

In 1992, he founded a frozen yogurt company called Glasay International PLC. The company became the largest supplier of frozen yogurt to the airline sector. ^{[6] [7]} Glasay was sold in 2001. ^[8]

He founded Air Fayre, an airline catering company in 1999. ^{[9] [10] [11]} Air Fayre was sold to Watermark PLC in 2004. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

In 2002, Ostro founded Media on the Move, to supply media content to airlines, shipping companies and train lines. ^{[15] [16] [11]} It was sold to Watermark PLC in 2003. In 2006, with Ostro already serving as managing director of two of the company’s divisions, Watermark appointed him as its CEO. ^{[17] [18]}

Upon his Father’s death in 2010, Ostro assumed responsibility for the UK operations of the family gemstone business, Ostro Minerals. ^{[19] [20]}

Ten percent of Ostro’s companies’ profits go to charities. He's also the founder of the charity, the Ostro Fayre Share Foundation. ^[21]

In 2008, Ostro became a Vice Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews. He was the initiator and Organising Committee Chair for the then London Mayor Boris Johnson's first Interfaith Conference in 2010. ^[22] Ostro then instigated and funded the creation of the Faiths Forum for London. ^[20] He also created Entrepreneurial Giving, a movement that encourages businesses towards charity work. ^[23]

In 2014, Ostro funded and supported the co-location of multiple charities working in the same sector through the creation of a charitable working space called Collaboration House. ^{[24] [25]} Working with some of these charities and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), his foundation provides training to over 800 religious institutions, through a nationwide initiative called Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI). ^[26]

In the wake of COVID-19, Ostro formed the Business Action Council (BAC), a coalition of multiple business organisations in the UK, developing recommendations for the Government on assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

• Since 2014, Ostro has served on the Education Expert Group for the Prime Minister's Commission on the Holocaust ^{[30] [31]}
• From 2003 to 2005, Ostro was part of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Strategy Unit on improving life chances of disabled people ^[32]
• From 2001 to 2005 he served on the SME Board of the National Employment Panel of the Department for Work and Pensions ^[33]

Maurice is married to Katy.