The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Alan Yarrow, is to lead a large business delegation to the Gulf (16-28 January) as part of efforts to make sure London and the UK remain the regional partner of choice when it comes to financial and professional services.

The Lord Mayor, acting as ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services, will be meeting with senior members of the government, investment authorities, regulators and business leaders. As part of the tour of Gulf nations he will be visiting:

• Kuwait City, Kuwait (16-19 January)
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (20 January)
• Muscat, Oman (21-23 January)
• Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE (24-26 January)
• Doha, Qatar (27-28 January)

Speaking ahead of his trip, Lord Mayor Yarrow said:

“The Gulf has always been a hugely important and longstanding economic partner for the UK. I hope that my visit to the nations of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and Qatar will build on this and further strengthen the financial ties that bind us.

“As the leading financial centre in the world, the UK has a host of world-class firms with the right expertise and experience that can support the Gulf nations as they look to diversify their economies and carry on with their ambitious infrastructure projects.

“My visit will also be one of sharing skills and experiences to grow both our financial sectors and thus our wider economies. Closer ties will help support each countries target in supporting sustainable economic growth and helping create jobs.”

Notes to editors

• About the Lord Mayor of the City of London: The Lord Mayor is head of the Square Mile’s City of London authority for one year and the position is unpaid and apolitical. It is an exceptionally demanding role. The Lord Mayor spends some 90 days abroad and addresses some 10,000 people face-to-face each month (making around 800 speeches a year). The Lord Mayor represents City businesses and helps the City Corporation advise the Government of the day on what is needed to help the financial services sector to function well. The Lord Mayor frequently travels to represent the City; and travels overseas with the status of a Cabinet Minister. The Lord Mayor meets several international Heads of Government and Business each month to discuss financial services, often in conjunction with senior City business representatives. The Lord Mayor lives in the Mansion House for the Mayoral year.
• Companies joining the Lord Mayor as part of the business delegation include: Invesco, HSBC, Thomson Reuters, Thomson Reuters, Charles Stanley, Deloitte, Kleinwort Benson, London Stock Exchange, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Aetos, MomoEssa, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), Dome Advisory, SAH Global, White and Case and Cass Business School.