8 November 2007
New Lord Mayor of the City of London takes office on Friday
afternoon - followed by Show on Saturday
At 3.00pm on Friday (November 9) David Lewis, 59, takes over as
the next Lord Mayor of the City of London and begins his
globe-trotting as ambassador of the world’s leading centre of
international financial services.
Corporate financier David Lewis, a former Senior Partner of City
law giant Norton Rose, was elected Lord Mayor of the City of London
in September and begins his year in office on Saturday with his
Lord Mayor’s Show – a formal parade from his new home at the
Mansion House at Bank Junction, to the Royal Courts of Justice
where he makes an oath of loyalty to the Crown.
David Lewis will be the first Lord Mayor of the City to have a
Welsh motto* – and only the 8th Welsh Lord Mayor
in 800 years. Lamb from his family’s farm in Carmarthenshire will
be served at his inaugural banquet on Monday at the Guildhall in
the City – at which the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of
Canterbury will be leading guests.
When he served as Sheriff of London last year. David Lewis’s
official badge included a figure representing Sheila, a
characterful sheep from the family flock.
"All of my family for 500 years are buried in the same two
churchyards in the valley and being Welsh is very important to
me."
But while David Lewis’s year begins with an ancient and
colourful ceremony, it is business that fills the agenda for 95% of
the time.
He said: "The modern City of London is a world-class centre in a
globally competitive business and I am proud to be able to serve it
as Lord Mayor. Keeping London and the UK ahead is key if we are to
keep the many jobs and the huge tax revenues it produces for the
UK.
A major task for Lord Mayor David Lewis will be to lead City
delegations to important overseas markets and he can expect to
spend nearly three months on arduous overseas business trips – plus
hosting City meetings with politicians and business leaders
visiting the UK.
Alderman David Lewis has spent his career advising on
privatisations, IPOs, corporate finance and mergers and
acquisitions and has been involved in many of the largest public
company takeovers, both in the UK and across international borders.
He has also helped FTSE 100 companies, global financial
institutions and governments to access global markets, advising on
privatisations and Stock Exchange listings in London and
overseas.
Elected Alderman for Broad Street in the City in 2001 he has
served on a number of City of London Corporation committees and was
Sheriff of the City of London for 2006/7 - one of two Sheriffs
elected annually into that ancient office.
His voluntary work also includes serving as Almoner/Governor of
Christ’s Hospital. He is also trustee of the Mansion House
Scholarship Scheme, the Lord Mayor’s Trust for Charities, and the
Norton Rose Charitable Foundation. He is a churchwarden of St
Margaret Lothbury and he sits as a City magistrate.
He is an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford – "the Welsh
college" and is also Chairman of the Governors at the Dragon
School, Oxford, and the Oxford University Law Faculty Trust is
among the charitable bodies on which he serves.
David Lewis married Theresa Poole in 1970 and both their
children - a son and a daughter –. are married. Theresa Lewis
trained as a teacher and taught adult literacy; she is also an
amateur potter and an artist.
Ends
Notes to editors
*"Aim as high as the sun"
The Lord Mayor is Head of the City of London which
provides local government services for the Square Mile, the
financial and commercial heart of Britain, and is committed to
maintaining and enhancing the status of the business City as the
world's leading international financial and business centre through
its policies and services. Its responsibilities also extend far
beyond the City boundaries and include management of the Barbican
Centre, Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, 10,000 acres of
open space including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest, three
wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health
Authority.
The Lord Mayor acts as ambassador for the UK-financial services
industry and spends three months a year leading City business
delegations overseas – and also meeting leading overseas
politicians and business leaders visiting London.
More information on the Lord Mayor’s role
The history of the office
Greg Williams
Head of Press
direct 020 7332 1455
mobile 07889 167 205