When Abdul Rahim, Managing Director of Management Consultancy Firm Platinumlinks Ltd started his company, he was operating as a one-man business out of a business incubator unit located at Knowledge Dock.

Abdul was very keen to locate his business at Knowledge dock because of the vast amount of business opportunities that existed stemming from the all regeneration activities that were happening in the region.

“One of the major benefits of being located at Knowledge Dock is the opportunities that exist for companies to engage with the University of East London (UEL) and other public sector organisations/authorities. Platiumlinks has collaboratively worked with the University on a number of business projects which has not only helped to raise the profile and creditability of Platinumlinks, but it has also helped to develop our network of industry contacts” comments Abdul.

As a former student of UEL, Abdul is also keen to point out the vast amount of University resources and expertise that businesses can draw upon through Knowledge Dock.

“Being located in such close proximity to a wide network of expertise and resources has certainly helped Platinumlinks develop over the years. Platinumlinks has successfully drawn upon this expertise in the past, and even as we speak we are currently working with the Knowledge Dock Simlab to process map all of Platinumlinks business processes, so we can identify ways to streamline our processes”.

“In addition Platinumlinks also offers work placements to university graduates. This is a valuable resource as it allows us to draw upon specific expertise possessed by graduates and academics to tackle strategically important issues faced by our clients. Not only does this provide valuable work experience for the graduates, it also allows Platinumlinks to build its knowledge base”.

In the five years that Platinumlinks has been located at Knowledge Dock the company has grown organically to the point where they now employ seven members of staff, and to accommodate this growth have had to move out of their incubator unit and move into a larger business office.

“Being located in an environment like Knowledge Dock has many advantages for growing businesses, none more so than the network of opportunities that exist for companies if they are willing to take the time to develop it”.