Sarah Hamilton-Fairley (B2 1974-1976)

I’ve always been interested in information and communication so my first two jobs, after graduating from Oxford (where I read English), were with J Walter Thompson and BBC Radio 4. It didn’t take me long to realise that what I really wanted was to run my own business. My partner and I duly started a small pre-press company – Whitewater – that specialised in writing and designing annual reports for not-for-profit organisations. Working with a diverse range of voluntary sector clients made me increasingly aware of the importance of their work and also that there was no system in place for people to be connected to the right service at the right time.

As a result of a personal experience we decided to sell Whitewater (it’s now a thriving business!) and devise such a system. The charity is called StartHere and provides a starting point for anyone looking for information on health, housing, education, employment, welfare and social issues. Suffice it to say, that getting something new and untried off the ground, has been a steep (and interesting) learning curve

My hobbies include playing tennis, gardening (while listening to Radio 4), music, books, going to the cinema – in fact anything that takes me away from reality! I am a Trustee of the Multiple Births Foundation and a Governor of St Paul’s Girls’ School.

Sarah Hamilton-Fairley
Chief Executive
StartHere
12 Turnham Green Terrace
London W4 1QP
Tel. 020 8742 7722
Fax. 020 8742 7733
www.StartHere.org