Alderman Michael Mainelli has been elected as the 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London and will serve as a global ambassador for the UK financial and professional services industry.
He will take up his role on Friday 10 November for a one-year term and as the elected head of the City of London Corporation, he will be an international spokesperson for the City, leading business delegations overseas to key international markets.
Alderman Mainelli, who is a computer scientist, economist and accountant has served as Sheriff of the City of London from 2019–2021, and was interviewed by Archives of IT in January 2021. Over the course of his career, he has established City think tank and venture firm Z/Yen, helped create the first complete digital map of the world and advised the UK Ministry of Defence on commercialising its £100m technology business.
In the role as Mayor, he will champion his theme of ‘Connect to Prosper’, an initiative focused on harnessing the City’s vast knowledge ecosystem that bring together thought leaders from the business, scientific, and academic worlds to demonstrate the City’s strengths in solving global challenges.
Deeply honoured
He said: “I am deeply honoured to have been elected as the 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London. As its global ambassador, I will champion the UK financial and professional services industry – not only as a powerhouse of the UK economy – but also a driver of prosperity to key markets abroad.
“Together we will showcase the Square Mile’s unique leadership role as the world’s coffeehouse, where connections between firms, institutions, and people, lead to new ideas and solutions that benefit the world.”
Global knowledge connector
The City of London has more than 40 learned societies, 70 higher education institutions, and 130 research institutes and Mainelli will emphasise the City’s unique role as a global knowledge connector and talent cluster.
He will succeed current Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons. The annual Lord Mayor’s Show takes place on Saturday 11 November, which will be Alderman Mainelli’s first public engagement.
It will be followed by the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Monday 13 November at Guildhall, where the Prime Minister will deliver a keynote speech.
