Legal & General and Birkbeck partnership to cocreate inclusive environmental and sustainability education offering

The three-year collaboration aims to support a new generation of leaders with a passion for environmental sustainability. 

Birkbeck is set to expand and develop its teaching and research in environmental sustainability, thanks to a new partnership with Legal & General. The collaboration will draw upon Legal & General’s financial support and corporate-sector expertise alongside Birkbeck’s renowned academic research capabilities to equip thousands of students with valuable practical skills and knowledge to help build a more sustainable future.  

The collaboration will also allow Birkbeck to devise and launch a first-of-its-kind accreditation programme that will help to embed environmental and sustainability standards in higher education. In addition, the partnership will see Legal and General providing vital financial support to allow students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to access an education at Birkbeck, an institution that has placed social inclusion at the heart of its mission since 1823. 

Created through a shared recognition that a more sustainable future relies on people’s commitment to the cause, the alliance has a focus on co-creation, with Birkbeck academics and Legal & General employees working together to develop new sustainability content and offer lectures or workshops about the real-world applications of sustainability and other similar topics.

Birkbeck’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Latchman CBE, praised the partnership, commenting:

“Since our founding in 1823, we have served a diverse and ambitious community by providing a place to thrive and transform lives through education. It is imperative that we equip students of all backgrounds and ages with the skills and knowledge to find innovative solutions to local and global challenges. Our three-year partnership with Legal & General ensures that our programmes can focus on long-term outcomes for students, our local communities, and the planet. We are delighted that Legal & General is partnering with us to build a more sustainable and inclusive future.” 

Nilufer von Bismarck OBE, Legal & General’s Non-Executive Director with a focus on climate, emphasized the power of quality education in addressing sustainability challenges, adding:

“Both Birkbeck and Legal & General have a shared belief in people’s power to solve problems and seize opportunities. The work of building a more sustainable future will require the mobilisation of significant amounts of capital; but ultimate success will depend on the expertise and commitment of more and more people. Access to high-quality education is one of the great enablers of change and I look forward to the impact we can achieve together.”  

Jack Roper, Group Head of Sustainability at Legal & General, expressed excitement about the joint mission to create the next generation of sustainable leaders:

“At Legal & General, we have a deep-rooted commitment to promoting long-term financial wellbeing, both through the products we offer, which have an inherent social value; and by the partnerships we build with institutions like Birkbeck. The College’s legacy of social-mobility focused inclusion is a perfect fit for the partnership which is in part focused on widening participation in higher education as well as creating the next generation of sustainable leaders. We’re excited about seeing what we can achieve together.”  

The partnership builds upon Legal & General’s legacy of investing in higher education and city development projects as well as drawing on Birkbeck’s longstanding commitment to inclusivity and lifelong learning.