Sophie Pender

Sophie Pender is a social entrepreneur, qualified corporate lawyer, and founder of The 93% Club, the UK's largest network for state-educated individuals. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and Diana Award recipient, she transformed a single university society into a nationwide charity supporting over 50,000 professionals and students across more than 50 universities, challenging the exclusive networks that have long favoured the privately educated. Sophie has advised the UK Government on its National Youth Strategy, presented the BBC Radio 4 documentary The 93% Club, and delivered a widely acclaimed TEDx talk on social mobility. Her sessions equip organisations with practical strategies to dismantle class barriers in recruitment and workplace culture, helping leaders create genuinely inclusive environments where talent from all backgrounds can thrive.

At nineteen, while studying English at the University of Bristol, Sophie Pender founded The 93% Club after discovering the invisible networks that have long propelled the privately educated into positions of power. Growing up on a council estate in North London and becoming the first student in her school's history to achieve straight A*s at A level, despite working two jobs at McDonald's and John Lewis and losing her father to addiction, she understood firsthand how talent and opportunity rarely align. What began as a single university society built to counter the advantages of private school networks has since become the UK's largest community for state-educated individuals, now reaching over 50,000 professionals and students across more than 50 universities. In June 2026, Picador won a competitive 13-way auction for her debut book, What School Did You Go To?, set for publication in 2028.

Sophie's work has earned her recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe honouree for Social Impact and a recipient of the prestigious Diana Award. After qualifying and practising as a corporate lawyer for four years, she stepped away from her legal career to lead The 93% Club full time, working with companies, charities, and public bodies to advance social mobility across the UK. She has advised the UK Government on its National Youth Strategy and serves on the boards of the Mayor's Fund for London and the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, where she helps shape initiatives that improve opportunities for young people. Her TEDx talk, "How to Become Socially Mobile", and her BBC Radio 4 documentary, The 93% Club, have reached audiences far beyond the charity's membership, while her insights have been featured in The Economist, BBC News, The Guardian, and The Telegraph.

Sophie equips organisations with practical strategies to dismantle class barriers in recruitment and workplace culture, drawing on data from 50,000 state-educated professionals and her own experience navigating elite spaces. Her sessions help leaders understand how informal networks and unspoken rules shape who gets access to top careers, and what structural changes are needed to create genuinely inclusive environments. Audiences leave with a clear understanding that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, and with actionable tools to ensure that background never limits potential. Through her speaking, advisory work, and the growing reach of The 93% Club, Sophie is transforming what it means to be state-educated in the UK, proving that access and advantage can be opened up for everyone.