Team

Fernando Lau

Chief Operating Officer
LinkedIn

Fernando “Lau” manages the company’s day-to-day operations and guides strategy for serving our university partners and positively impacting their students’ lives. 

Fernando joined from the technology platform Revelo, where he was Chief Revenue Officer. He previously spent more than a decade in edtech, leading global teams across marketing, business transformation, operations, and student and brand experience. 

Raised in an emerging country, Lau saw firsthand how education can transform lives and communities, which is now the core mission of his daily work. 

Lau holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from EAESP – FGV (Brazil) and an MBA from Fundação Dom Cabral (Brazil). In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his family, travel, and participate in any and all sports. 

What traits do you admire in a leader?

Humbleness, transparency, and boldness.

What are your core values?

Teamwork and collaboration. Learning, inspiring, and feeding off each other – there is nothing better than winning as a group.

What is your Risepoint moment?

My Risepoint was when I graduated from college and moved from Brazil to New Zealand for work. As I left the comfort zone of my country, family, friends, and the language, despite all the uncertainty of the new, I embarked on a journey to the other side of the world that transformed my life. The world became smaller, I learned a new culture, I visited incredible places, and I made friends for life.

Meet our leadership

Tim Cleary
Chief Strategy Officer
Amanda Lynne Smith, Ph.D.
Chief Academic and Product Officer
Fernando Bleichmar
Chief Executive Officer
Katelynn Dugan
Chief Communications Officer