About Rajesh

Rajesh is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fairgrowth, a platform focused on building inclusive, innovative and sustainable growth. Fairgrowth Partners advises organisations, founders and leaders to drive growth and strategic impact. Fairgrowth Ventures invests in high-potential startups and scale-ups in frontier technologies across space, artificial intelligence, quantum and energy, combining capital with hands-on strategic support and global networks.

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Rajesh Agrawal served as the Deputy Mayor of London for Business (2016–2023). During his tenure, he was a strong advocate for London’s business community, helping to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, attract tens of billions of pounds in international investment, improve working conditions for hundreds of thousands of Londoners, and achieve 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 organisations, events and visitors to the capital, while supporting the growth and retention of London-based companies. He also chaired London’s Jobs & Skills Partnership Board, advising the Mayor on how to better align skills provision with industry-relevant and higher-level needs. As Deputy Chair of the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), he played a key role in shaping strategic actions to foster economic growth and job creation. He also served as 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 cross boder payments platform that transformed 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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Rajesh is Chair of Labour Friends of India, working to strengthen the relationship between the UK Labour Party, the British Indian community, and India. He is also Chair of Space4Labour, advancing dialogue between policymakers, industry and academia on the UK’s space and frontier technology ambitions. As a Board Advisor at B4NZ, he collaborates with banks, businesses and regulators to support the transition to net-zero emissions.

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His commitment to expanding opportunity, driving economic growth, and addressing inequality has been a hallmark of his career. He is Co-chair of the Advisory Board at the University of East London, supporting the institution’s mission to align education, skills and innovation with the needs of industry and society. He has also 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 The 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.