Colin Bailey, Julie Hutchinson, Stephen Timms, Nigel Wilson
The event, run in partnership with the East London Business Alliance, a charity which brings together public, private and voluntary sectors across East London and beyond, was hosted by the Canary Wharf Group.
Among those in attendance at the event, which was run in partnership with East London Business Alliance were Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham and Minister of State, Professor Colin Bailey, CBE, President and Principal of Queen Mary, Julie Hutchinson, CEO of East London Business Alliance, Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice Principal, Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Queen Mary and Sir Nigel Wilson, Chairman of Canary Wharf Group.
Through a series of panel discussions, participants discussed how education, skills and economic growth policy can support delivery of regional and national growth and opportunity missions, such as the London Growth Plan, Inclusive Talent Strategy, Skills White Paper, NHS 10 Year Plan, and the Industrial Strategy, and what this looks like across East London with regards to on the ground delivery, collaboration, and corporate community investment.
Speaking on the event, Professor Colin Bailey, CBE, President and Principal of Queen Mary said: "At Queen Mary University we are committed to opening the doors of opportunity through excellence in education and research. We are a university that transforms lives, addresses inequalities, and makes new discoveries.
"We also continue to close the gap between talent and opportunity helping our students, many of whom are the first in their family to enter higher education, thrive academically and move confidently into leading careers. That's why events like this, which bring local leaders, businesses, and community groups together to discuss how we can create opportunities across East London, are so important. It is only through these collaborations that we will achieve our goal".
Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham and Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions said: "East London communities are full of ambition, creativity, resilience, and potential, but more needs to be done to realise that potential. In particular, young people in East London need more opportunities that reflect their potential, rather than their postcode.
"Key to this is investing to open up new pathways into the right training and education. This needs cross-sector collaboration. I am delighted to see initiatives like this event, involving Queen Mary, East London Business Alliance and Canary Wharf group. Its fostering and supporting the collaborations that we need far more of. I look forward to seeing what comes out of it."
Julie Hutchinson, CEO of East London Business Alliance said: "East London is rich with talent, ambition, and resilience, but too many residents still face barriers to opportunity. By collaborating with Queen Mary University of London and others, we connect people with real opportunities – jobs, training, mentoring, and the confidence to thrive – ensuring that every young person knows that opportunity is for them, and that where you're born doesn't determine where you go."
Sir Nigel Wilson, Chairman of Canary Wharf Group added: "This fantastic event has driven constructive collaboration between businesses, local government, community groups and education providers like Queen Mary University of London. This will develop and expand career pipelines for the people of East London.
"Through partnerships like these, we will build a skilled workforce for the science, technology and finance sectors, ensuring residents can access local opportunities created by local investment."
The ELCAN, a key part of Queen Mary's Civic University Agreement, reflects the University's commitment to using its convening power to bring together partners from across East London to collectively address place-based challenges.
This event is the latest in a line of events and announcements from Queen Mary which further demonstrate the University's commitment to opening the doors of opportunity through excellence to any student with the potential to succeed, irrespective of their background, and to ensuring that its graduates leave with the skills that are in demand from employers.
The next steps following this event will be to continue increasing collaboration between sectors to achieve more impactful change for East Londoners, as well as piloting new opportunities together through Queen Mary Inclusive Growth Grants.
In February 2026, Queen Mary hosted London Higher's AccessHE conference, which explored the vital role universities play in driving growth and opportunity, and which was attended by Rushanara Ali, MP and Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth. And in March, they announced a new partnership with New City College to open new pathways to education and in doing so, help fill skills gaps locally, nationally and globally.
