Summit 2024 Speakers

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William took office as the 692nd Lord Mayor of the City of London in November 2019. To ensure continuity of leadership during the current COVID-19 outbreak, he remained in office until November 2021. William’s mayoral theme was Global UK: Trade, Innovation and Culture, aiming to grow global trade, champion innovation and promote a rich and vibrant cultural and creative economy. During his mayoralty, William led the Green Horizon Summit at COP26 alongside Mark Carney, promoting the importance of Finance and the City of London to help the UK get to NetZero.

William has over thirty years’ experience in the financial and business City including holding senior positions in the national and international Banking sector. In 1987 he went to work for First Boston Corporation before joining Merrill Lynch in 1992 as an Investment Banker in Institutional Equity Sales, working in Asia, New York and London. William is currently Chair of CDAM, a London based Asset Management business; co-Chair of the UK-China Green Finance Taskforce with Dr Ma Jun, and a non-executive Director to Augmentum Fintech Investment Trust.

William served on the Board of Innovate Finance, the industry body for the UK based Fintech community and is also an educational entrepreneur, as the co-Founder and Chair of Knightsbridge School and a Director of Knightsbridge School International (KSI). William is a past member of the Campaign Board for Durham
Inspired, a landmark philanthropic campaign focused on ensuring Durham remains at the forefront of learning, research and education for generations to come.

William has a number of charitable interests; he has served as Chair of the Development Board of the Royal Court Theatre; he is Deputy Chair of the Barbican and is on the Council of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust. He is a past Chair of Prostate Cancer UK; past Deputy Chair of Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity and a past board member of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

William was elected Alderman for the Ward of Bread Street in March 2013 and has since served on a number of the City of London Corporation Committees including the Policy and Resources Committee and the Education Board. William is a past Governor of the City of London School for Girls, the Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for
Girls, Adams Grammar School and Abraham Darby Academy. He served as a Sheriff of the City of London in 2016-17. In 2021 William was elected as Governor of the Honourable the Irish Society.

William is a Court Assistant to both the Haberdashers’ and the Feltmakers’ Livery Companies, as well as an Honorary Liveryman of the Paviors’ Company and a Liveryman of the Girdlers’ Company.

William was born in London in 1965 and was educated at Eton College and Durham University. He is married to Hilary who also went to Durham University. They have four children: Edward (29), Nicholas (26), Alistair (24) and Helena (20). His interests include cricket, tennis, rugby and the theatre.