Staff team
The Fabian Society has a staff team based in London, Manchester and Edinburgh
General secretary
Andrew Harrop, general secretary
@andrew_harrop
0207 227 4900
andrew.harrop@fabians.org.uk
Andrew has been general secretary of the Fabian Society since Autumn 2011 and in that time has led the society’s research on economic and social policy as well as the future of the British left. He is currently leading a review on the roadmap to a national care service to inform the Labour party’s policy programme. He was previously director of policy and public affairs for Age UK and before that was head of policy at Age Concern England, and a researcher for the New Policy Institute and a backbench Labour MP. He has also served as treasurer of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and as chair of governors of a London primary school and children’s centre. He has been a Labour party activist since 18, is a former parliamentary candidate and has been an elected member of the party’s national policy forum since 2018. He has degrees from Cambridge, LSE and London Business School.
Read Fabian publications written or edited by Andrew
Areas of expertise: ageing, the economy, education and skills, government, health and social care, housing, the Labour party, labour markets, pensions, poverty and inequality, public services, social security, taxation, UK politics
Research
Luke Raikes, research director
@lukeraikes
0207 227 4912
luke.raikes@fabians.org.uk
Luke joined the Fabian Society in March 2020. Before joining the Fabians, he led IPPR North’s research on the economy and devolution, and he has also published work on skills, employment support, industrial strategy and transport. Prior to this he worked at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Luke has also been a Labour councillor on Manchester City Council since 2012.
Areas of expertise: regional economies and inequalities, devolution, industrial strategy, skills, employment support, transport.
Ben Cooper, senior researcher
@BenCooper1995
0207 227 4918
ben.cooper@fabians.org.uk
Ben joined the Fabian Society in September 2018. Since joining the Fabian Society, Ben has led research on older voters, education, housing, and culture funding.
Ben is also a trustee for a charity supporting people with complex disabilities and is chair of the Co-op Party’s (dis)Ability Network. He previously worked for a Labour MP. He studied Development Studies at the University of Cambridge and British Politics and Legislative Studies at the University of Hull.
Areas of expertise: older voters; housing; rural and coastal policy; education, childcare and early years; culture; disability policy
Sasjkia Otto, senior researcher
Sasjkia joined the Fabian Society in 2022 from the civil service, where she led policies to tackle digital divides and tech platform power, working across Whitehall and internationally. Before joining the civil service, she advised blue chip companies on topics including the economy, labour markets, consumer affairs, climate change, health and equalities. She is the founder of a democracy-building nonprofit and served as trustee for a charity tackling poverty and isolation.
Areas of expertise: labour markets, skills, poverty in later years, digital, data and technology, infrastructure, competition.
Eloise Sacares, researcher
Eloise joined the Fabians in December 2021 as Events and Digital Assistant, before moving to the research team. Eloise graduated in 2021 from the University of Bath with a degree in politics with economics. Alongside her degree she volunteered for Bath’s student union and worked as online deputy editor for Bath Time Magazine. She joined the Fabian Society in December 2021.
Areas of expertise: environment and climate, higher education, equalities policy.
Editorial
Kate Murray, editorial director
@kate_murray
0207 227 4911
kate.murray@fabians.org.uk
Kate is in her second stint at the Fabian Society, after a break travelling. She first joined the Fabians in September 2016. She was previously a freelance writer and editor, specialising in social policy, and before that edited Inside Housing magazine. She has a degree in modern languages from the University of Cambridge.
Iggy Wood, editorial assistant
07919120417
Iggy joined the Fabian Society in 2022. He studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford, where he also served as Investigations Editor for the student paper. After graduating he worked for the NHS, helping to execute the nationwide school-age vaccination programme.
Events, Membership and Operations
Shehana Udat, membership officer
0207 227 4904
shehana.udat@fabians.org.uk
Shehana joined the Fabian Society in 2018. She holds a Master’s degree in human rights from University College London. Previously she has worked for several human rights organisations including working in parliament with a focus on the Commonwealth. She currently splits her time between working at the Fabians and for an organisation which has a focus on global development and social justice.
Shehana works at the Fabian Society on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Katie Curtis, events and marketing manager
@KatieCurtis
katie.curtis@fabians.org.uk
Katie joined the Fabian Society in February 2020 having previously worked for Progress via the trade union movement and charity sector. She attended King Alfred’s College in Winchester as a mature student after a career in sales, graduating with a degree in education studies. Katie has been involved with the Labour Party since she was a teenager and has been a candidate in local, Westminster and European elections. In her spare time she’s a member of the parliamentary women’s football team.
Rory O’Brien, events and digital assistant
Rory joined the Fabian Society in 2022 as part of the events team for the Labour Party Conference and has now joined the Fabian Society full time. He graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a degree in production management and spent five years working in the theatre industry. Rory is currently studying for his masters in political communication at Birkbeck, University of London.
Scottish Fabians
Katherine Sangster, national manager
@kath14sangster
katherine.sangster@fabians.org.uk
Katherine has experience in finance, marketing and project management both in the corporate and charitable sectors. Prior to joining the Fabian Society she spent eight years as Head of Office for a prominent business leader. She volunteers with Children’s Hearings Scotland and actively campaigns for fairer access to childcare. She is vice chair of her local CLP.