The Infrastructure Industry Foundation (IIF) raised around £480,000 at its recent gala dinner in London having attracted more than 470 guests from some 40 infra organisations.

These funds which will be used to develop a new industry-wide social mobility programme alongside The Sutton Trust, the UK’s largest social mobility charity.

The IIF’s ambition is to create an overarching social mobility initiative within the infrastructure industry providing opportunities for young people from all walks of life.

The foundation will shortly be reaching out to the industry, seeking members to assist in the creation of the IIF’s social mobility programme including mentorship, work experience placements, internships and awareness sessions.

Carolyn Pearce, managing director at Stonepeak, said: “It was humbling to see the industry rally behind such an important initiative, and also to create such an impactful legacy for our former colleague Ella Pinney, for whom the foundation was originally founded and whose name will be associated with this cause through the Ella Bursary fund.

“We look forward to the gala dinner becoming a permanent and hopefully global feature in the industry calendar.”

Ed Clarke, co-founder of Infracapital, added: “The 2022 gala dinner was a tremendous success and we would like to thank everyone who supported the event.

“As an industry, we are in a unique position where we can drive significant change both through our investee companies, as well as at a fund level, and it is wonderful to see what can happen when we all come together, united for a cause.”