SEO LONDON’S FOUNDER AND CEO CHANGES ROLES

London, 19 May 2022 - Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) London has today announced that Andrew Fairbairn, founder and chief executive officer of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO London) will continue his work with the SEO organisation as executive vice-president of SEO USA, and a new chief executive officer for SEO London will be announced shortly. They will both work closely together during the coming months to ensure a smooth transition and continuity.

Andrew has been involved with SEO for almost three decades, beginning as an undergraduate candidate in 1995 when, with the support of SEO USA, he interned with Lehman Brothers, a firm which launched his career in finance, consulting, and executive leadership. In 2000, while on assignment with Deutsche Bank in London, Andrew co-founded Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, Ltd. (SEO London) to continue and expand the work of SEO. SEO’s origins go back to 1963 when founder Michael Osheowitz established the organisation as a mentoring programme to help students from New York city secondary schools gain admission to competitive colleges and universities. At that time, SEO London worked with a small pool of students, who were trained and mentored with the support of a few financial firms.

After 16 years on the board of directors, Andrew became the chief executive officer of SEO London in 2016. Andrew’s passionate and enthusiastic commitment to SEO London has thus delivered decades of transformative leadership in the promotion of diversity and inclusion in British workplaces. Under his leadership, SEO London has continued to grow, currently working with more than 25,000 candidates, more than 120 firms, 120 universities, and 250 secondary schools across the country. As in the very first days, SEO London continues engaging, training, recruiting and preparing talented underserved and underrepresented young people from secondary schools and universities. 

For most of the population it serves, SEO London’s interventions provide critical first steps into meaningful employment in some of the most competitive industries in the world.

Randolph Sesson, chair of the Board of Trustees of SEO London and managing partner at Blackbird Capital Partners commented: “It is rare that one can say that the contribution of one individual is irreplaceable, but this is a fact in the case of Andrew Fairbairn and SEO London. The SEO London of today, more than 25,000 candidates served in the course of this year, more than 130 sponsor firms, more than 40 staff, an alumni base of more than 10,000, and in the healthiest financial shape we’ve ever been in, none of this would have been possible without Andrew’s vision, leadership, enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to creating and growing SEO London.

Now embarking upon our 22nd year, SEO London continues to be the leader in accessing and broadening opportunities in the corporate world for those that are underprivileged and underrepresented. Andrew’s role in this is unparalleled in the diversity and inclusion space. I and the Board thank him for all his tremendous efforts and look forward to his continued connection with and contribution to SEO London as he moves to take on new responsibilities with SEO USA.”

In his new role in New York, Andrew will oversee SEO USA’s five professional programs: Career, Tech Developer, Alternative Investments, Law, and the Leadership Institute. He brings an entrepreneurial, international and cross-industry perspective to his role and his everlasting passion for seeing young, underrepresented people succeed.

While SEO London will continue to benefit from his experience and commitment, we wish him the best of luck on his new endeavours.