10. Creating Equity with Andrew Fairbairn

“To ignore reality for as long as people have is a cultural illness, quite frankly – a delusion” In this episode Nadia talks to Andrew Fairbairn, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) London, a Charity set up engage young people from low socio-economic backgrounds and create opportunities for them that would otherwise have been unlikely for them to attain due to societal inequity. Andrew discusses the intersectionality between ethnicity and socio-economic status which can doubly disadvantage these young people, resulting in a lack of access to professional career paths and low self-worth driven by their lived experiences in these domains. He explains how SEO London aims to combat this by working on a daily basis with a broad spectrum of front office executives and HR leaders at global multinationals to offer placements to talented young people on the programme.  The programme encourages student self-belief, and provides them with the skills needed to thrive in the corporate world. Andrew talks of the bigger picture. “It’s not about you, it’s about those who come after you”. He hopes that their work can go on to create a ripple effect of workplace opportunity for underrepresented groups and that a community of like-minded people will emerge who not only want to develop themselves but also the community at large. Finally, Andrew leaves us with his thoughts on the intersectional impact of COVID-19 on those from ethnic minority and low socio-economic backgrounds and the importance of acknowledging this in order to create equity in our society. Show links: SEO London’s Website  SEO London LinkedIn SEO London Instagram SEO London Twitter Get in touch with Andrew at: Andrew’s LinkedIn Profile Email: [email protected]