Anchor institutions reflect, connect and inspire at annual conference
The London Anchor Institutions’ Network came together on 31 January for its annual conference.
The over-subscribed conference, hosted by the Mayor of London and held at the University of London’s impressive Senate House, was attended by over 200 delegates. It celebrated progress against commitments in responsible procurement, good work, mentoring young people and net zero.
Delegates heard from experts in their fields on embedding culture change, measuring social value, communicating impact and nurturing place-based links. Keynote speeches from Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, Professor Wendy Thomson CBE, Vice-Chancellor, University of London and Cllr Georgia Gould, Chair of London Councils provided further inspiration.
The conference showcased the breadth of the Network’s membership including public, private, education, cultural and faith-based organisations, that through collaboration have been:
Supporting inclusive economic growth – pledging to spend up to 30% of their annual procurement budgets on small and diverse businesses in London, with some on track to exceed their spend targets this year.
Helping Londoners from underrepresented backgrounds into good work – supporting more than 4,000 apprentices, uplifting Londoners’ pay through new London Living Wage commitments and taking action to close gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps.
Helping young Londoners to flourish – supporting the New Deal for Young People mission to ensure 100,000 disadvantaged young Londoners have access to high quality mentoring opportunities by 2024.
Creating a cleaner, greener London – setting net zero targets, developing estate decarbonisation projects and training almost 1,000 members of staff in environmental sustainability or carbon literacy.
View the conference gallery for highlights of the day.
First broadcast at the conference were a series of short films featuring real life beneficiaries of Anchor-related work. Watch them here to hear from Londoners about how anchor institutions are changing lives.
Access slides from the break-out sessions below: