About Rajesh

Entrepreneur & Former Deputy Mayor of London

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Rajesh is the Founder & CEO of Fairgrowth Group, supporting purpose-led economic growth through strategy, talent, ventures, and policy.

 

Rajesh Agrawal served as the Deputy Mayor of London for Business from 2016 to 2023. During his tenure, he was a strong advocate for London’s business community, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, attracting tens of billions of pounds in international investment, improving working conditions for hundreds of thousands of Londoners, and achieving a six-fold increase in the number of Londoners receiving the Living Wage.

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As Chair of London & Partners, Rajesh promoted London internationally, attracting overseas organizations, events, and visitors to the capital while also supporting the growth and retention of London-based companies. He chaired London's Jobs & Skills Partnership Board, advising the Mayor on how to better align skills provision to meet the capital's industry-relevant and higher-level skill needs. Additionally, as Deputy Chair to the Mayor on the board of the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), he played a key role in identifying and implementing strategic actions to foster economic growth and job creation in London. Rajesh was also a Board member of TheCityUK, championing the UK’s financial and professional services sector.

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Prior to his public service career, Rajesh co-founded and scaled a payments platform that revolutionized international money transfers, making them more accessible and affordable for small businesses and individuals. He was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Asian Who’s Who and received the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Public & Political Life Awards, presented by Baroness Betty Boothroyd in Parliament.

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He is also the Chair of Labour Friends of India, an organisation working to strengthen the relationship between the UK Labour Party, the British Indian community, and India. As a Board Advisor at B4NZ, Rajesh collaborates with banks, businesses, and regulators to support banks in helping their clients transition to net-zero emissions.

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Rajesh’s dedication to creating opportunities for young people, driving economic growth, and addressing inequality has been a hallmark of his career. He has served as Chair of Oxfam’s Enterprise Development Programme, a board member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) UK, a Trustee of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and a Patron of the Prince’s Trust (now King's Trust).

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Rajesh is a Freeman of the City of London, a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and an Honorary Fellow of the University of East London.