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The Lord Mountevans' In Support Of The Lord Mountevans’ Reflections as 688th Lord Mayor of London BENEFICIARY TRANSCRIPT Your Excellency, Minister, Deputy Master, Aldermen, Masters, Ladies and Gentlemen May I begin by first extending my own warm personal welcome to you all to Trinity House, one of THE most important maritime organisations here in this maritime country. Thank you, Deputy Master, for the opportu- nity to dine in this glorious and his- toric setting. The Lord Mayor, who holds office for just one year, heads the Corporation, and is primarily the chief spokesman and ambassador for London and the UK’s world-leading Financial and Professional Services (FPS). Because the City’s role is so wide and given that there are numerous stakeholders to represent and engage with, there are many who contribute to the very busy programme, including the Government. For example, the overseas visits programme is developed in conjunction with the FCO and business. National and International events as well as important anniversaries also play a role. What I am trying to indicate is that the Lord Mayor does not have as much “rudder” over his or her programme as might be imagined. However, Lord Mayors each have their own individual character and their own individual style. They also have their own individual business backgrounds. The one year of office is, I believe, an advantage as it brings renewed energy and freshness and enables a spot- light to be shone on a different sector each year in line with the individual’s background. As many of you know, my background is very maritime. I had as a teenager planned a career in the Royal Navy. In the event, my eyesight wasn’t quite good enough to meet the high standards required for my intended specialisation. I quickly switched my interest to the superb Royal Marines but managed to smash myself up playing rugby! Disappointed, I decided that I had better focus on preparing myself for a career in ‘civvy street’, rather than a life in the Services. But maritime is a very strong gene, and after Cambridge I realized that – still - what I really wanted to do was something related to ships. I was lucky enough to join a great firm of international shipbrokers, today the world leader. The following 45 years of broking – the business of seeking agreement – in an industry at the heart of world trade, where 85% of trade moves by sea, gave me exposure to many industries and specialisations and, I would like to think, fostered a degree of diplomatic skill. Like all Lord Mayors, I wanted the City to contribute to the greatest effect, where possi- ble, to the welfare of London and of the nation, whilst very specifically doing all I could to promote the Financial and Professional Services (FPS) of London and the UK, nation- ally and internationally. The Lord Mountevans’ Reflections as 688th Lord Mayor of London 2 In the years 2013 - 2015 when I was preparing myself hopefully to be elected Lord Mayor, I was much struck by the strong strand of innovation increasingly evident and at work in Britain, so that I chose as my theme for the year “Innovate here – Succeed Anywhere”, which resonated strongly through the year, and not least after the Referendum, as Brit- ain began to shape a future outside the EU. I had been warned that what most surprises people when they first take office as Lord Mayor is the sheer pace. Despite having served as Sheriff in 2013, supporting and work- ing closely with the then Lord Mayor, Sir Roger Gifford, and though having made every effort to prepare myself, I was no exception. A typical day in the Mansion House starts with a breakfast meeting at 8 and includes an average of 8 – 10 appointments (it can be up to 15), including meetings with international as well as business leaders, ambassa- dors, etc, almost invariably finishing with a dinner, to complete the day around 11. On top of this intense Mansion House programme, the Lord Mayor spends around 100 days on overseas visits, often leaving Mansion House very early to catch short-haul flights, or late – and often on a Friday night or Saturday morning - for long-haul destinations. Similarly, on returning, it was typically to go straight back into the programme. How can this pace be achieved and maintained, you might very well ask. Well that brings me to my first Reflections point – the high calibre and amazing dedication of the Cor- poration’s officers and staff, not least in the Mansion House, backed up with excellent support from the Civic team and fellow elected members. I am delighted to see one of my brilliant Sheriffs – Christine Rigden here tonight, and of course I am always very grateful for the support and wise counsel of my wonderful wife, Juliet. But, returning to Corporation staff, there isn’t time to go into detail – the standard is universally high – however I would like to take this opportunity to highlight one related group who you might not immediately think of – the City of London Police. They keep the City safe and undertake daily many specialisations that we may not see – including cyber security and fraud investigation and prevention. But I was particularly reminded of their wide role when I was privileged to represent the Lord Mayor just last Friday in Mansion House at a ceremony to award Commendations to a large number of City of London Police and staff who were first responders and then heavily engaged - indeed directing - the whole follow-up operation to the terrorist incident at London Bridge and Borough Market, working seamlessly with the Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police. When these awful events happen, ordinary people want to run away. These people without ex- ception go towards the danger. It was a very humbling experience and brought back to me the first 24 hours of my Mayoralty when the atrocity in Paris took place on the eve- ning of the Silent Ceremony. The question was put – rightly – during the night whether the Show should go ahead, if that was appropriate, and if we could be sure the citizens of London, and all those taking part, would be safe. The decision was taken that it was right for the Show to go ahead – we would not give in to terrorism – and importantly, the City of London Police assured those involved in the decision that they would have The Lord Mountevans’ Reflections as 688th Lord Mayor of London 3 a safe Show. I think between all involved, we got it right. At an appropriate a moment in the Show, the Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Dublin, who was taking part in the magnificent State Coach of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, stood side by side with me on the Mansion House Balcony for the two minute silence to show support for Paris. It was a powerful moment and a powerful state- ment against terrorism. Well let’s get on to brighter things. My foreign travel itinerary took me to 26 countries. My second Reflection point is that we Brits are far more positively regarded abroad than we see ourselves. This is particularly true of the media! Time does not permit a full report, but I hope to give at least a flavour. Given the width, depth and quality of London and the UK’s offer in FPS, and don’t forget that two thirds of the 2.2 mil- lion jobs are outside London, as Lord Mayor you have so many services and specialisations to promote which could be mutually beneficial in different world markets. I hope you will indulge me if I present a few impressions in addition to my Reflections. My very first trip, in the second week of my Mayoralty, was to Malta for the Commonwealth Business Forum, the first time the Lord Mayor or indeed the Corporation had attended this event. I was joined by the Chairman of Policy. The principal objective was to familiarize Com- monwealth business leaders with the financial and professional services and international ad- visory expertise available in London, and ways in which the City could support infrastructure growth. Interestingly, prior to the Referendum being called, the Corporation already sought to engage better with the Commonwealth, sup- porting the Commonwealth Enterprise and In- vestment Council from its early days, and we were of course a major sponsor of the Com- monwealth Business Forum hosted principally in Guildhall just two weeks ago. The Lord Mountevans’ Reflections as 688th Lord Mayor of London 4 The important visit to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, together with a later visit to Bahrain to mark 200 years of UK/Bahraini relations and to Oman served principally to reinforce the strong bonds with the region, not least at a time then of low energy pric- es. As an Honorary Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve, I was delighted to visit the new Royal Navy supply base HMS Jufair in Bahrain, formally opened last month by the Duke of York, which gives the Navy a base in the Gulf and indeed east of Suez. Next was Africa, and three countries broadly in similar latitudes but facing completely different challenges. Angola, at that time hit by low energy and commodity prices and ranked the 181st country out of 189 in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index. Then Zambia, where our shared Commonwealth heritage ensured a very warm welcome. Among many people I met on that trip, I especially remember the Finance Minister, Mr Chikwande, who had studied in Sweden in the early 60’s.
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