Early Careers Summit highlights cross industry collaboration shaping future projects

A cross‑industry event created and hosted by early careers professionals at construction and property consultancy Gardiner & Theobald (G&T) and Transport for London (TfL) – both APM Corporate Partners – has highlighted the importance of collaboration in supporting emerging talent– through sharing experiences and building relationships across the profession.

The event, held on 12 March, covered themes including the role of AI and emerging technology in shaping early‑career pathways, along with Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and why inclusive thinking is essential for attracting and retaining future talent.

An engaging panel discussion followed, including Willem van Zyl, Partner at G&T, and Faz Dar, Data Science Manager at TfL, and brought all of the discussed topics together and highlighted how interconnected they are for the future of the industry.

Mark Cowieson, Partner at G&T and Amanda Warner, Head of Project Management and Resourcing at TfL, also spoke about the working partnership between both organisations and the opportunities available to emerging professionals.

Amanda discussed the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for early careers professionals, as well as the value of APM membership and leveraging relationships made through such collaborative events.  Amanda said, “The energy in the room was amazing, collaboration and events such as these are invaluable and if everyone made at least one connection today, then I would deem this a successful outcome. We heard about AI but I truly believe in the power of people – the connections you make today will continue to shape your journey tomorrow.”

Mark Cowieson added, “Bringing together colleagues from TfL, G&T and APM to discuss industry-relevant topics is a valuable and exciting opportunity for all involved, and for our early career professionals, so important for their networking and development. I look forward to continuing this venture with both, and my thanks to the joint TfL/G&T Working Group for planning and hosting the event.”

Sophie Lawrence, Partnership Development Manager at APM, also gave an insight to both APM Corporate Partners about the benefits available to them to build their knowledge and develop their careers within their organisations, and also with APM.

APM looks forward to working with and supporting other Corporate Partners on future collaborative events.