Queen Mary Business School Awarded Five-Year Small Business Charter Reaccreditation

9 September 2026

The re-accreditation recognises the excellence and impact of the Business School and the wider University in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), advancing entrepreneurship education, and contributing to the growth and prosperity of the local and regional economy.

This achievement follows a rigorous and collaborative process that began in Spring 2025, drawing on contributions from over 75 academic and professional service colleagues across QM, alongside valuable input from our students and external partners.  The reaccreditation exercise was led by Professor Joanne J. Zhang, Director of the Entrepreneurship Hub, and Dr Dominic Wong, with support from the Hub team at the Business School.

Queen Mary Business School’s Interim Dean, Professor Simon Macklin, said,

“This five-year reaccreditation is a significant achievement for Queen Mary and reflects the strength of our collective commitment to entrepreneurship and business engagement. It recognises the important contribution made by colleagues and students across the University, working alongside our external partners, to support businesses and strengthen our local and regional economy. We look forward to building on this success and expanding the impact of our research, education and business-support activities over the coming years.”

Professor Joanne Zhang mentioned:

“After leading the initial accreditation in 2023, I am incredibly proud that we have secured a five-year reaccreditation. This is more than a recognition of what we have achieved - it is a testament to our shared commitment to entrepreneurship, supporting SMEs and startups, and creating lasting social and economic value.”

Executive Director of the Small Business Charter and CEO of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, Flora Hamilton, said:  

“We are delighted to reaccredit Queen Mary Business School with the Small Business Charter. The school has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to supporting small businesses and student entrepreneurship by embedding SMEs and enterprise education within the business school and wider university ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to work with them.” 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed their time, expertise and insights. The collective efforts of our staff, academics, students and friends of Queen Mary were instrumental in achieving this reaccreditation.

Building on this success, we are excited to launch the government-backed Help to Grow: Management Programme for SME leaders in Jan 2027. Find out more and register your interest here, and connect with the Entrepreneurship Hub to learn more its programmes and activities.