Brett Wigdortz, OBE 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 between children from low-income backgrounds and their wealthier peers. 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.  Previously he has worked as a consultant, a journalist and researcher.

He is originally from New Jersey and 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 Future Leaders. He is also the co-founder, trustee and strategy adviser to Teach For All.

In 2007 Brett was named the UK Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and was awarded the 2010 CASE European Leadership Award. In 2012 Brett won the Charity Times Charity principal of the Year and the Institute of Directors London and the South East Director of the year in the Public/Third Sector. Brett is proud to have been awarded an OBE in the 2013 Queens New Year’s Honours list for Services to Education

Brett’s book Success Against The Odds, a candid account of the first 10 years of Teach First, was published in September 2012.