NEWS
Group Principal’s services to education
WELCOME
to our new board members Julie Agbowu Julie is a qualified accountant and after years in City firms, set up her own training centre All Inclusive Training - in Croydon. Julie and her colleagues teach local people AAT, Sage, and other financial qualifications, and runs workshops for businesses in a range of financial topics. Julie joins the Board to represent the interests of the new Croydon Division of the Chamber.
Rosemary Nunn Rosemary is Head of Commercialisation and Innovation at the University of Greenwich and holds the Chair of the University Alliance Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise Network. With a background in Economics and following a career in the private sector working across multiple sectors, she has focused on helping organisations to curate knowledge and facilitate innovation to improve operational performance and create value, via the design and leadership of Business Transformation programmes. Rosemary joins the board to represent the University of Greenwich - a new Strategic Partner.
recognised with Queen’s Honours
Dr Sam Parrett, Group Principal and CEO of London & South East Education Group has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for Services to Education in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours list.
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he honour recognises Sam’s ongoing dedication to education at all levels. This includes the establishment and leading of London South East Academies Trust (formerly Bromley Educational Trust); a multi-academy trust currently incorporating seven alternative provision and special schools and one mainstream school across Bromley, Bexley and most recently, Surrey. The network of schools has grown and developed under Sam’s leadership of the FE college-led trust. The unique group structure is ensuring that children and young people, many with a range of special educational needs, have access to high-quality provision and care from birth right through to 25 and beyond. With three of the schools being in special measures before joining the trust, Sam’s drive
and determination has led to stark improvement (two out of these three are now rated good with the other awaiting an Ofsted inspection). As a result, many particularly vulnerable children now have the opportunity to reach their full potential in inspiring, supportive and nurturing environments. The CBE builds on the OBE that Sam received in 2017 for her work within the further education sector. Having taken up the post of principal of Bromley College in 2010, she has spent the last 11 years dedicated to expanding and improving education for people of all ages and abilities across the region. This included overseeing the country’s first three-way college merger in 2016, which led to the creation of London South East
Colleges with campuses across Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich, and the establishment of London & South East Education Group. Throughout the pandemic, Sam and her team have worked tirelessly to support students and the wider community – establishing a national FE foodbank campaign and partnering with an NHS Trust to support the vaccine rollout. Sam said: “I am overwhelmed to be recognised with such an honour. It has all come as a complete surprise and I am incredibly grateful. “It reflects the huge amount of work and dedication many people have put in over the past few years – along with the great support I have received from local authorities and other partners who have put their confidence in my team and I to deliver.”
Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2021 Nominations are open for the Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2021.
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fter what has been a challenging 16 months, this is an opportunity for local businesses to celebrate their successes and the outstanding contribution they make to our borough.
This year’s awards recognise organisations who are boosting local economic growth and strengthening communities. The Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2021 are open to any business that is based in Lewisham.
Businesses can either nominate themselves or be nominated by customers, suppliers or partners. Entries close on 19th September. For more details please visit lewisham.gov.uk/ businessawards
Triple boost for SOUTH EAST LONDON CHAMBER
A hat-trick of organisations have joined South East London Chamber of Commerce as it strengthens its presence within the local business community.
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o-Sys and the University of Greenwich have signed up as Strategic Partners to the Chamber, while Severndroog Castle has become a new member. Mo-Sys is a technology-led innovation company that designs and builds unique, highly sophisticated camera technology products for film and broadcast, such as camera tracking, broadcast robotics and virtual production hardware. Not only are these products rapidly transforming visual effects (VFX) and virtual production (VP) techniques that are vital to the modern-day filmmaking process, they are attracting global interest
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and serving customers in more than 50 countries around the world. The University of Greenwich is home to a diverse community of nearly 28,000 students studying in the UK and overseas, with one in five of them postgraduate students. Based across three attractive, historic campuses in London and Medway in Kent, the organisation is conveniently located at the centre of an international network of partners and clients, and works with a range of companies to help them upskill their workforce. Meanwhile new Chamber member Severndroog Castle is an elegantly
preserved Gothic tower situated on Shooter’s Hill, one of the highest points in London. A magnet for tourism, the historic Grade II-listed 18th century building is nestled in ancient woodland, making it the ideal hidden gem to explore away from the London bustle. Helen McIntosh, president of the South East London Chamber of Commerce, says: “We are delighted to welcome our new member and two new strategic partners to the Chamber. “Mo-Sys has been a Chamber member for a long while and it has been thrilling to witness the
company’s recent stellar growth. The company is now one of the most innovative in the country and is winning plaudits for its work both locally and all over the world. “It’s also great to have the University of Greenwich on board. The organisation is playing a vital role in giving businesses the skills they need to grow and adapt to the fast-changing world in which we live. “Not many Chambers will have a castle as a member! We want to help Severndroog promote itself as a major tourism attraction and build links with businesses in south east London and beyond.”
