Sophie Pender
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Sophie Angela Pender (born 1996) is a British
social mobility Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one's current social location within a given socie ...
campaigner and activist. She founded the
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...
the 93% Club, the UK's least exclusive members club for people educated in
state school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
s.


Early life and education

Pender grew up on a
council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
in North London. She lost her father to substance abuse. Pender was educated at Hertswood Academy in
Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...
. She worked two jobs to support herself during her studies, and achieved straight A*s for her
A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
s the first student in her school to do so. Pender studied English at the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
, and was the first in her family to attend
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
. Pender graduated from the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
in 2017. During her time in the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
she became involved with efforts to improve social mobility, with the
University of Bristol Students' Union The University of Bristol Students' Union (known as Bristol SU) is the students' union of the University of Bristol, England. It is among the oldest of the UK students' unions and was a founding member of the National Union of Students (United ...
and the charity ''Access Aspiration''. Whilst an undergraduate student Pender founded the 93 Percent Club. The club became a national network of student societies, who worked with organisations to improve the
employability Employability refers to the attributes of a person that make that person able to gain and maintain employment. Overview Employability is related to work and the ability to be employed, such as: *The ability to gain initial employment; hence the ...
of graduates educated in state schools. Pender has referred to the 93% Club as an alternative
Bullingdon Club The Bullingdon Club is a private all-male dining club for Oxford University students. It is known for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and bad behaviour, including vandalism of restaurants and students' rooms. The club selects its members ...
challenging
old boy network An old boy network (also known as old boys' network, old boys' club) is an informal system in which wealthy men with similar social or educational backgrounds help each other in business or personal matters. The term originally referred to soci ...
s.


Career

After graduating she worked as a city lawyer for
Herbert Smith Freehills Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP (HSFK) is a global law firm with headquarters in London, England and Sydney, Australia. As of 2024, the firm was the 33rd largest by revenue. It was formed on 1 October 2012 by a merger between the United Kin ...
and
Bates Wells Braithwaite Bates Wells (officially Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP) is a law firm based in London, United Kingdom. The London-based firm employs around 130 people with specialists covering all areas of law. Overview The firm was founded by Andrew ...
before working full-time for the 93% Club.


Awards and honours

Pender was named as
Forbes 30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...
in 2022, and won the
Diana Award The Diana Award is an international award that honours young people who work to improve the lives of others. Named after Diana, Princess of Wales, the Diana Award was established in 1999 by a board chaired by Gordon Brown. History The award w ...
and was named a Woman to Watch by The Times in 2017.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pender, Sophie 1997 births Living people Alumni of the University of Bristol British women activists People from Borehamwood