Andrew Mawson

Director

Andrew is a serial social entrepreneur. He is best known for founding the Bromley- by-Bow Centre in East London, Community Action Network (CAN), Poplar Harca (one of the first housing companies) and Leaside Regeneration Ltd. Andrew has now “graduated” from most of these ventures and each of them continues as a successful organisation. He created Andrew Mawson Partnerships (AMP) as a vehicle both to grow and replicate his approach and successes.

Under the AMP banner, he co-founded One Church 100 Uses CIC and launched Water City Group to create and implement a vision for East London revitalised by the opportunities of the 21st century and the 2012 Olympic Games.

Honoured with an OBE in 2000, Andrew was then made a life Peer in 2007 in recognition of the social impact of his work. He sits as an independent crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. In 2012, he was made a Freeman of the City of London. He is also the bestselling author of the book, The Social Entrepreneur: Making Communities Work.” which has just been published in Japan (in Japanese).

Andrew and his partners wrote the earliest paper proposing that the Olympic Games be brought to East London. He was involved in the Olympic project for 19 years from day one and was a Director of both the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) and its successor body the London Legacy Development Corporation until 2018, where he chaired the Regeneration & Community Partnerships Committee. Over 25 years, this company will plan, develop, and manage the Olympic Park in East London and create a lasting legacy from the 2012 Games.

In 2015 Andrew was appointed Executive Chairman of Well North, an innovative community-based programme, funded by Public Health England, which is helping to improve health and wellbeing across ten towns and cities in the North of England. Andrew is now Chairman of the legacy vehicle, Well North Enterprises, the social business set up to share the learning from this programme nationally and build on these ten Innovation Platforms.  

Well North Enterprises has a special focus on place-making and the creation of integrated communities, exploring the relationship between the built environment and the creation of entrepreneurial cultures in some of our most challenged communities.

Under Andrew’s leadership, Well North Enterprises is taking a unique approach to unlocking potential in people and places. The Well North Enterprises team have a 37-year track record of creating entrepreneurial, healthier and more sustainable communities in the UK and overseas. View Well North Enterprises website.