Brett Wigdortz

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Biographical Information

"Brett Wigdortz has led Teach First as its CEO since its launch in July 2002. Teach First is currently the 3rd most prestigious graduate recruiter in the United Kingdom and is working to close the achievement gap in England and Wales Brett wrote the original business plan for the charity while working as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and then took what was originally planned as a six-month leave of absence in February 2002 to develop and build support for the idea.

"Before coming to London, his previous time at McKinsey was spent as a consultant in Indonesia, Singapore, and Manila - focusing on retail banking, organisational effectiveness, and Asian microfinance. Prior to McKinsey, Brett developed southeast Asia policy and business programmes at the Asia Society in New York City. He has also worked as a journalist in Asia and as a researcher at the East-West Center in Honolulu, focusing on energy and economic development issues.

"He is originally from New Jersey and has also lived in Virginia and Israel. Brett has an Honors Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Richmond and a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Hawai'i. He currently serves as a trustee of PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools) and Future Leaders, which recruits and train the next generation of outstanding headteachers for challenging urban secondary schools. He is also a co-founder and a trustee of Teach For All, an organization created in partnership with Teach For America to help other countries start similar programs and create a global network of leaders dedicated to addressing educational disadvantage.

"He was recently named the 2007 UK Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and the 2010 CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) European Leadership Award. Brett is married with two small children."

• Advisory Board, Education Endowment Foundation