Newcastle University

Reflecting upon stories from her early childhood as well as her adult life, Sarah will focus on the transformative impact of education on communities and the power of stories to tell us who we are. 

The lecture will touch on several stories of the millions of children around the world, including Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, for whom the right to learn is still being fought for.

​Education can be a great driver of equality: an opportunity which will allow every child to realise his or her full potential. Girls in particular are all too often excluded from learning and instead face neglect, child labour and child marriage.

​Sarah will address how stories such as Malala’s have brought to the public’s attention the urgency to act on the promises that all world leaders made in 2000 to alleviate poverty, hunger, inequality and to afford every child a place in school. 

With the deadline only two years away, the global challenge to open up reading and learning to every child around the world can still be met, but only if we seize the opportunity now.​

Sarah Brown is the founding Chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education and co-founder of the A World At School initiative to mobilise and support all efforts to achieve education and learning for every child by 2015. She is also the CEO of the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown Ltd, President of the international children’s charity PiggyBankKids, Co-Founder of the Maternal Mortality Campaign and Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood.

She has received the Vision and Impact Award from the Global Business Coalition for Health, an Honorary Fellowship from Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Recognition Award from the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

She previously was Managing Director of one of Britain’s most dynamic independent communications companies and subsequently led a global arts PR firm. She shared her experience of business leadership as Patron of the CBI First Women Awards. She is also a patron of Women’s Aid, SHINE Education Trust and Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres and a Non-Executive Director of the Harrods Group (Holding) Ltd.

Sarah lives in London and Scotland with her husband, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Member of Parliament Gordon Brown, and their two sons John and Fraser. She tweets as @SarahBrownUK to 1.2million followers.