Professor Lee Elliot Major OBE

Speaker Summary

Lee Elliot Major is Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility, based at the University of Exeter. He was previously Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, the UK’s leading social mobility foundation.

Areas of Expertise

Equity and Inclusion – Social Mobilities

Full Profile

Lee’s work is dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people from under-resourced backgrounds. He works closely with school leaders, universities, global employers and Governments to develop practical ways of improving educational and life prospects.

He is an award winning author and his Penguin book; Social Mobility and Its Enemies, has attracted attention across the world. His latest book Equity in Education argues for a new approach to improving life prospects that discards damaging deficit discourses. Lee is one of the most prominent public voices in national education debates and is invited to speak about the topic across the world.

Lee was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen’s Honours. He is the first in his family to go to university.

He holds several academic posts including Associate Member, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and Associate, London School of Economics, Centre for Economic Performance. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and serves on the Strategic Advisory Network of the Economic and Social Research Council.

Publications
  • Social Mobility and Its Enemies (Pelican 2018)
  • Equity in Education (John Catt 2023)

Sessions Featuring Professor Lee Elliot Major OBE: