The Mayor of London will head for the World Economic Forum in Switzerland today (22 January) where he will urge the world’s wealthiest business leaders to open their cheque books and invest in London's future, as he seeks to drive jobs and growth in the capital.
On a whistle-stop tour the Mayor will sell London’s record of achievements to international business leaders, opinion formers and politicians. His schedule includes a meeting with the Chief Executive of Liberty Global, following their purchase of Virgin Media, to discuss how they might support London’s ambition to become Europe’s leading digital city. And he will meet the President of Harvard University to discuss lessons London can learn from Boston’s life science sector.
At the invitation of the World Economic Forum the Mayor is giving the opening address at WEF's main private session on cities, the future of urban development and new models for city problem solving, attended by industry leaders, policy makers and city leaders from across the globe. In his remarks he will stress the importance of a dynamic city based not just on financial services, but growth sectors like tech, med-science, life-sciences, film and TV and tourism.
He will outline the importance of job creation and opportunity for young Londoners, and the need to ensure that everyone shares in the city's success, whilst championing investment in housing and transport infrastructure, all aimed at delivering a smart city of the future. In addition the Mayor will address events hosted by Morgan Stanley and Coca-Cola, and attend more than 15 meetings and events at the Forum.
In all his engagements the Mayor will reiterate the importance of the City and how London is blessed with world-beating industries. He will also impress on potential investors and business leaders that London is the best place to live, work and do business and stress the huge opportunities that the capital has to offer.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “For the next forty-eight hours I will be in the immediate vicinity of the owners of some truly whopping cheque books. These people are heavy hitters with the potential to invest billions in our city and I am on a mission to persuade them to invest in projects that would provide new jobs and growth in London.”
On previous trips to the Forum the Mayor secured funding for London’s Barclays cycle hire scheme, Emirates AirLine, the Arcelormittal Orbit and the Siemens Pavilion. This year the Mayor will be joined by his chief economic advisor, Gerard Lyons, and his Chief of Staff, Sir Edward Lister. They will accompany the Mayor to meetings where they will lobby for London in discussions covering a wide range of economic sectors including financial services, tourism and tech industries.