Sadiq Khan hosted the first meeting of his Business Advisory Board with capitalising on future opportunities to promote London globally top of the agenda.
The board – formed of leading business figures and entrepreneurs from across the capital – met yesterday (Wednesday 11 January) at City Hall to discuss plans to protect and boost London’s economy and develop ideas to increase its competitiveness and prosperity post-Brexit.
Members of the 16-strong board, 10 of whom are women, also contributed ideas and expertise on developing strategies to promote women in business, support entrepreneurs and identify digital and tech skills opportunities.
Sadiq Khan vowed to be London’s most pro-business Mayor ever and today fulfilled a manifesto pledge in forming the board, the first of its kind to be chaired by the Mayor.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The first meeting of my Business Advisory Board was a welcome opportunity to discuss how we can further promote the capital internationally, showing that London is open to talent, growth and investment.
“I am delighted to have some of the very best of London’s leading business brains advising and working with me to help boost the capital’s economy as we look to protect the city from the impact of Brexit and capitalise on the opportunities of the future.”
Kathryn Parsons MBE, Co-Founder and CEO of DeCoded, said: “I am excited to be joining the Mayor's Business Advisory Board. There has never been a more important time than now to support the entrepreneurial community in London. This is a great city and together we can build on making it the place in the world for anyone who wants to dream, launch or scale their business".
Omid Ashtari, CEO of Citymapper, said: “In times of uncertainty we need to encourage diversity. Not only of people we live and work with, but also of businesses that call London their home. Being part of the Mayor's Business Advisory Board to help support this mission is truly exciting.”
Notes to editors
Members of the board are:
Omid Ashtari, General Manager, Citymapper
Dame Inga Beale, CEO, Lloyd’s of London
Constantin Cotzias, Director, Bloomberg Europe
Lloyd Dorfman CBE, Founder and President, Travelex Group
Jayne-Anne Gadhia CBE, CEO, Virgin Money
Vivian Hunt, Managing Partner , McKinsey & Company
Shalini Khemka, Founder, CEO and Board Director, E2E
Kym Denny, CEO hVIVO
Paul May, CEO of Patisserie Holdings
Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Vice President EMEA, Facebook
Kathryn Parsons MBE, Co-Founder & CEO DeCoded
Nikhil Rathi, CEO, London Stock Exchange Plc
William Sargent, Co-founder, Framestore
Laura Tenison MBE, Founder & Managing Director, JoJo Maman Bébé
Sarah Wood, Co-founder and CEO, Unruly
Debbie Wosskow OBE , Founder and CEO, Love Home Swap