Brett Wigdortz '95

About Brett

Brett graduated with honors from Richmond with a degree in economics and international studies.  As an undergraduate, Brett was a Residence Hall assistant in the international house, and student member of the Study Abroad Committee.  Brett was also a University Scholar and was active with the Interfaith Council and radio WDCE.  Brett studied abroad in Jerusalem at Hebrew University.

Brett is the CEO and co-founder of Teach First, an education-business partnership that recruits top graduates to teach for two years in disadvantaged London high schools.  Participants in Teach First gain teaching qualifications, as well as a mini-MBA and leadership training. Teach First was ranked the 63rd most prestigious employer in Britain in the Times of London Top 100 annual survey.  Brett recently won the London Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his role as Chief Executive of Teach First. 

Personal Statement

My experiences at the University of Richmond, including working at the international house and in the Office of International Education helped prepare me for a variety of careers and for working with people from a wide variety of cultures, throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. After graduation, I did research on Southeast Asian economics at the East-West Center, in Honolulu, a placement I found with help from the Office of International Education. 

After some time in Southeast Asia, I worked as the Southeast Asia policy and business program officer at the Asia Society, in New York. I then became a management consultant with McKinsey & Company's Southeast Asian offices, based in Jakarta and Singapore. They transferred me to London, where I got involved in a project studying ways in which businesses could help improve the quality of secondary education in Britain.  The idea for Teach First was born and, because I believed it could make a real difference, I left McKinsey to try to get it started.

In retrospect, one of the most useful classes I took at Richmond was in British politics; however, I also believe economics is a great background for any job you might want to pursue.  In my current position, I spend much of my time working with various groups of British policy makers, business and non-profit leaders, and educationalists. 

Contact Brett

Brett invites students to contact him about his experiences at Richmond and abroad. 

Back to top