John Craven

John Craven is the Director of the Social Mobility Commission, appointed in June 2022, with a background in leading social mobility organizations and an 11-year career in investment banking.

During his tenure as Head of Structured Products & Capital Markets (EMEA) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, John managed a team handling $2bn of investments annually and spearheaded crucial technology projects such as a live online trading website.

From 2016 to 2022, John served as the Chief Executive of upReach, where he significantly grew the organization's income, expanded its team to 75 employees throughout the UK, and provided support to 3,000 students annually. Under his leadership, upReach received numerous accolades, including the 2022 Queen's Award for Enterprise, Charity of the Year in 2019 and 2022, and the Embracing Digital Award in the 2020 Charity Governance Awards.

John is known for founding pivotal 'EdTech' social mobility initiatives at upReach, such as the Social Mobility Network, REALrating recruitment platform, and the Student Social Mobility Awards.

Apart from his social mobility work, John has a diverse background spanning teaching and over thirteen years of experience at the board level in various sectors.

John's educational journey includes studying at the University of Oxford, pursuing a Master of Arts in Economics at the University of Cambridge, attending High Pavement Sixth Form College in Nottingham, and schooling at Colonel Frank Seely Comprehensive School in Calverton, Notts.