{{Short description|Social mobility campaigner}} {{Infobox person | name = Sophie Pender | birth_name = Sophie Angel Pender | image = Sophie Pender, Founder and CEO of The 93% Club.jpg | caption = Sophie Pender speaking in Manchester in 2024 | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1996|06}}<ref name=dob/> | birth_place = Borehamwood | education = Hertswood Academy | alma_mater = University of Bristol (BA) | awards = ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 (2022)<ref name=forbes/><br>Diana Award | employer = 93% Club<br>Herbert Smith Freehills<br>Bates Wells Braithwaite<br>University of Bristol Students' Union }}
'''Sophie Angela Pender''' (born 1996)<ref name=dob>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206045646/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Gct3UdoAEr7zaL3Y4Q5dlOXBetg/appointments|archivedate=2024-12-06|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Gct3UdoAEr7zaL3Y4Q5dlOXBetg/appointments|website=gov.uk|author=Anon|year=2015|publisher=Companies House|location=London|title=Sophie Angela PENDER}}</ref> is a British social mobility campaigner and activist, best known as the founder and CEO of the 93% Club, a registered charity described as the UK's "least exclusive members club" for people educated in state schools.
== Early life and education == Pender grew up on a council estate in North London.<ref name=bbc>{{Cite web|first=Catrin |last=Nye|date=2021|title=Being proud of going to state school|language=en-GB|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-57580910|access-date=2021-07-06|website=bbc.com|publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=gruaniad>{{Cite web|title=A Bullingdon in reverse: how working-class student club is taking on elitism|url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/mar/06/bullingdon-in-reverse-working-class-student-93-club-taking-on-elitism|access-date=2021-07-06|website=theguardian.com|first=Robert|last= Verkaik|year=2021|publisher=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> She lost her father to substance abuse.<ref name=bbc /> Pender was educated at Hertswood Academy in Borehamwood. She worked two jobs to support herself during her studies, and achieved straight A*s for her A-Levels the first student in her school to do so.<ref name=sobbing>{{Cite web|year=2014|first= Victoria |last=Oliphant|title=Sobbing student heads to university after receiving straight A*s|url=https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/11409878.sobbing-student-heads-to-university-after-receiving-straight-as/|access-date=2021-07-06|website=borehamwoodtimes.co.uk|publisher=Borehamwood Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Best Ever Results...Again!|author=Anon|year=2014|url=https://www.hertswoodacademy.org/MainFolder/documents/news-archive/Hertsbeat-08-September-2014.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185527/https://www.hertswoodacademy.org/MainFolder/documents/news-archive/Hertsbeat-08-September-2014.pdf|archivedate=2021-07-09|website=hertswoodacademy.org}}</ref><ref name=a93>{{Cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309095017/https://www.93percent.club/about-4|archivedate=2021-03-09|title=About |author=Anon|year=2021|url=https://www.93percent.club/about-4|access-date=2021-07-06|language=en-US|website=93percent.club}}</ref> Pender studied English at the University of Bristol, and was the first in her family to attend higher education.<ref name=bbc /><ref name=bore/> Pender graduated from the University of Bristol in 2017.<ref name=alumni>{{cite web|title=Sophie Pender (BA 2017)|author=Anon|year=2024|website=bristol.ac.uk|publisher=University of Bristol|url=https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alumni/stories/magazine-summer-2024/first-in-family/sophie/ }}</ref>
During her time in the University of Bristol she became involved with efforts to improve social mobility, with the University of Bristol Students' Union<ref name=dob/> and the charity ''Access Aspiration''.<ref name=bbc /> Whilst an undergraduate student Pender founded the 93 Percent Club.<ref>{{Cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221203618/https://www.93percent.club/leadership|archivedate=2020-12-21|author=Anon|year=2020|title=Our Leadership|url=https://www.93percent.club/leadership|access-date=2021-07-06|website=93percent.club|publisher=The 93% Club|language=en-US}}</ref> The club became a national network of student societies, who worked with organisations to improve the employability of graduates educated in state schools.<ref name=a93 /> Pender has referred to the 93% Club as an alternative Bullingdon Club challenging old boy networks.<ref name=gruaniad/><ref name=torygraph/>
== Career == After graduating she worked as a city lawyer for Herbert Smith Freehills and Bates Wells Braithwaite before working full-time for the 93% Club.<ref name=torygraph>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003444/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/11/21/sophie-pender-lawyer-city-firm-female-diversity-93pc-club/|archivedate=2023-11-23|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/11/21/sophie-pender-lawyer-city-firm-female-diversity-93pc-club/|website=telegraph.co.uk|publisher=Daily Telegraph|location=London|first=Lucy|last=Burton|year=2023|title=Sophie Pender: The City lawyer smashing the old boys’ network}}</ref><ref>{{LinkedIn page}}</ref>
===Awards and honours=== Pender was named as ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 in 2022,<ref name=forbes>{{cite web|author=Anon|year=2022|title=Sophie Pender, Founder of The 93% Club|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206055640/https://www.forbes.com/profile/sophie-pender/?list=30under30-europe-social-impact|archivedate=2024-12-06|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/sophie-pender/?list=30under30-europe-social-impact|website=forbes.com|publisher=Forbes}}</ref> and won the Diana Award<ref name=di>{{cite web|url=https://diana-award.org.uk/stories/sophie-pender|website=diana-award.org.uk|author=Anon|year=2024|title=Sophie Pender|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206052054/https://diana-award.org.uk/stories/sophie-pender|archivedate=2024-12-06}}</ref> and was named a Woman to Watch by ''The Times'' in 2017.<ref name=bore>{{Cite web|first= Steven |last=Brown|year=2017|title=Student named one of the women to watch 2017|url=https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/15170703.sophie-pender-from-borehamwood-named-one-of-the-women-to-watch-2017/|access-date=2021-07-06|website=borehamwoodtimes.co.uk|publisher=Borehamwood & Elstree Times|language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pender, Sophie}} Category:1997 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol Category:British women activists Category:People from Borehamwood Category:British women chief executives Category:British women company founders Category:21st-century British women lawyers