The role of the Lord Mayor
An international ambassador
The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London is an international ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services sector.
The UK is a world leading international financial centre and the top net exporter of finance worldwide. The global gateway for financial and professional services (FPS) businesses, it offers an open financial centre with unparalleled reach, deep, liquid pools of capital, and a significant presence of international investors.
The UK ranks top for FPS innovation. Here firms can access a one-of-a-kind innovation ecosystem. This brings together strong policy support, finance and access to global markets and future focused talent from world-leading FPS and tech.
The UK is the leading international financial centre for sustainable finance. It offers a one stop shop to investors, firms and governments who will find a full spectrum of sustainable services and products.
Together, FPS employ 2.3m people across the UK, with two thirds of these jobs outside of London. There are plenty of good stories to tell and it is the Lord Mayor’s job to tell them, at home and abroad.
Head of the City of London Corporation
The Lord Mayor also heads the City of London Corporation, the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. Together with other leading members of the City Corporation the Lord Mayor makes sure that the City’s interests are reflected in local and national policy.
Within the City’s boundaries, only the Sovereign takes precedence. During the year in office the Lord Mayor hosts diverse visiting heads of state, heads of government and other foreign dignitaries on behalf of His Majesty and HM Government.
The Lord Mayor works closely with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, although they have distinct and separate responsibilities.
To become Lord Mayor, one must be an Aldermanic Sheriff first
The Sheriffs support the Lord Mayor, they advise him on matters important to the City, help with hosting dinners for visiting dignitaries, and travel with him in his business visits. They also look after the Judges at the Old Bailey and make sure that the court's business runs smoothly.
They are elected each year on Midsummer's day by the City livery companies. One must be an Alderman - the senior representative of one of the City's Wards, and another elected position - and both Sheriffs need to be members of a livery company. Their tenure is one year and runs from September to September.
Engagement Programme
The Lord Mayor of the City of London serves as an international ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry, representing both London, the world’s leading financial centre, as well as the UK’s regional hubs in priority growth markets overseas. The Lord Mayor often makes overseas visits at the head of City business delegations, opening the door to markets overseas for British businesses looking to expand internationally. As a representative of one of the UK’s leading industries the Lord Mayor meets Central Bank Governors, Finance Ministers, trade body representatives and business leaders to discuss how London’s unmatched offer can help businesses and governments achieve their goals for growth and investment. The Lord Mayor’s Overseas Engagement Programme is organised in conjunction with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, London and Partners, and the Department for Business & Trade. Visits are subject to change.
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal is an important part of the Lord Mayor’s role. It continues with its vision and ambition of creating A Better City for All and, under its four strategic pillars (Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled and Fair), it runs its thought leadership programmes – Power of Inclusion, This is Me, We Can Be and City Giving Day. The charities being supported in 2025 are Homewards – A Royal Foundation programme which aims to demonstrate that homelessness is not inevitable, and is in fact a solvable issue – and MQ Mental Health Research – the only UK charity that exclusively invests in mental health research.