The University of West London (UWL) celebrated the diversity and strength of the local business community by hosting the Ealing Festival of Business, organised by the West London Chambers of Commerce, on Thursday 15 October.
Sponsored by iFAST Global Bank, Barrett London, Currie Motors, Branduin Business Support, and Ealing Council, the festival began with a stakeholder breakfast in Pillars, the University’s in-house training restaurant. Speakers included Howard Dawber OBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Anthony Hilton, UWL Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council.
Alan Rides, CEO of the West London Chambers of Commerce highlighted the region’s economic importance, noting that West London is one of the capital’s most significant business hubs, home to more than 50,000 companies employing over one million people.
Growth and opportunity
Professor Anthony Hilton spoke about UWL’s involvement in the local community, including the West Ealing WE Grow project, civic partnerships with Ealing and Hounslow Councils, and partnership in WestTech London and the Golden Mile. He said:
“A project that I am particularly close to is the development of a new Pharmacy School, which we’re developing because the NHS is seeing that care needs to be in the community. We are also exploring partnerships to extend it to Dentistry, Optometry and Audiology to make a stronger local health workforce and support the needs of staff and local people.”
Howard Dawber OBE discussed both the challenges and opportunities facing businesses in the capital:
“London is the best city in the world to do business, despite all the challenges, and we want to make it the easiest city in the world to start, grow and maintain a business.”
Networking, learning and collaboration
The festival featured more than 40 exhibition stands, alongside workshops and networking opportunities designed to help businesses connect, share expertise and develop new partnerships. Sessions were hosted in Westmont Enterprise Hub, UWL’s centre for start-ups and business expertise.
Meet the Buyer sessions enabled local Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to engage directly with buyers and decision makers from Ealing Council, Heathrow Airport Limited and West London College.
Preparing students and supporting businesses
Jonathan Eastwood, UWL’s Head of Student and Graduate Futures led a session on what the University offers in terms of employment support and how we are upskilling our students in an agile way for a fast-changing business environment.
Dr Gemma Pybus, Senior Lecturer at the Claude Littner Business School, talked about the various ways that UWL can support businesses in Ealing through the Business Support Scheme including Fresh Minds for Business, saying:
“We are building practical experience into our courses and strengthening our relationships with businesses across West London, helping support them while giving our students valuable real-world learning opportunities.”
