Ian Parkes receives Honorary Fellowship at Queen Mary Graduation
Ian Parkes, formerly Chief Executive of the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and Director of London Works, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Queen Mary’s Spring graduation ceremony.
Ian Parkes has been CEO of the East London Business Alliance for the last 8 years before retiring in summer 2024. ELBA works to connect industry and business with local stakeholders across East London to provide opportunities and development in the area.
During his time as CEO, Ian has provided invaluable support, connections and opportunities to our School of Business and Management. He has helped hundreds of students through a local mentoring pipeline that runs through East London school and college students to university business students to London-based alumni employers.
He is a committed advocate for Queen Mary’s unique achievements in enabling social mobility for our students from low-income backgrounds to succeed in their future careers.
Ian’s passion for community development and equity in access to employment and opportunities is also demonstrated by his commitment to impactful partnerships across the region beyond his ELBA role – through being a Chair of Governors at a London school, his engagement with local employer partnerships and the trust he has built with local and regional authorities.
Ian said:
“I am so delighted and humbled to receive this Honorary Fellowship in recognition of my work with ELBA and in promoting Queen Mary University and the School of Business and Management.
Very early on in my time as ELBA CEO I recognised that Queen Mary shared the same commitment to social mobility and equality and to ensuring that all young people of all backgrounds should be able to get a great start to their lives and make the most of their potential. The proportion of students who are from east London, who are the first in their families to go to university, who come from Black, Asian or other ethnic minority backgrounds is unique for a Russel Group university.
Together we have built partnerships and relationships with employers from east London and the large corporate businesses in the City and Canary Wharf. It has been a particular pleasure to work with and support the efforts of the School of Business and Management to help their students get the careers they deserve after working so hard for their degrees.
Just now, it is important to speak up for equality and social mobility, and I am so proud to have been awarded this Honorary Fellowship for the work I have done in this field.”
Ian has also supported the formulation of Queen Mary’s Civic University Agreement in 2021-22, and has continued thereafter by being a valued member of the QM Civic Advisory Board, made up of senior leaders at Queen Mary and strategic civic partners across East London. As a board member Ian has championed Queen Mary’s civic mission with his shared values, and challenged Queen Mary to be as impactful as we can be in sharing our strengths and making positive change in East London. Ian has also provided valuable collaboration opportunities, connections and strategic thinking into developing new research proposals which address East London challenges, particularly on our shared objectives around social mobility, skill development and wellbeing in our communities.