Alan Yarrow, former Lord Mayor of the City of London, has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List 2016 for services to International Business, Inclusion, and the City of London.

Sir Alan, who served as Lord Mayor from November 2014 to November 2015, adopted ‘Creating Wealth, Giving Time and Supporting People’ as the theme for his mayoralty and helped raise over £2million for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, for which the main beneficiaries were Scope and Mencap, of which he is Vice President. Sir Alan also promoted ‘City Giving Day’ to encourage philanthropy in the Square Mile.

During his year in office, Sir Alan championed trust, standards and inclusion in the City and visited 27 countries (including China, Brazil, Mexico, India and Sri Lanka) over three months to promote London and the UK’s financial and professional services.

Sir Alan said: “I feel deeply honoured to have been awarded a knighthood by Her Majesty the Queen, in recognition of my work to promote London as the leading global financial centre and in particular, to champion inclusion, disability and philanthropy. During the course of a hugely enjoyable and rewarding mayoralty, it was a particular privilege and pleasure to welcome the President of China, the President of Mexico, and the Prime Minister of India to Guildhall. I can look back at my year in office with a sense of great pride, not only for advocating London and the UK’s tremendous strengths as a financial power house, but also for the differences which, I hope, I have made in helping change attitudes and behaviour in the financial sector. My wife, Gilly, and my family have been immensely supportive and I know that they share my delight in being offered this honour.”

Other City figures who have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List 2016 are: David Shalit, former City of London Corporation Elected Member, who receives an MBE for services to the City of London Corporation and Older People in London, and Peter Adams, a Verderer and local naturalist at Epping Forest, who receives an MBE for services to the Conservation of Flora and Fauna in south-west Essex and east London. Charles Andrews, a road sweeper, and his colleague, Sean McCarthy, an HGV driver, receive a BEM (British Empire Medal) for voluntary services to the Poppy Appeal in London. Both men gave up two weeks of their annual leave to set up stalls in Cheapside and Cannon Street and collections to raise over £60,000 in 2014, and repeated their achievement in 2015. Since they started the annual collections in 2003, Mr Andrews and Mr McCarthy have together raised over £242,000 for the Poppy Appeal.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Sir Alan Yarrow is available for further comment and interview via alan.yarrow@cisi.org

Bob Roberts, Director of Communications, City of London Corporation

Tel: 020 7332 1111

Email bob.roberts@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Andrew Buckingham, Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Tel: 020 7332 1452

Email andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk

ABOUT THE CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION:

The City of London Corporation is a uniquely diverse organisation. It supports and promotes the City as the world leader in international finance and business services and provides local services and policing for those working in, living in and visiting the Square Mile. It also provides valued services to London and the nation. These include the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama; the Guildhall Library and Art Gallery and London Metropolitan Archives; a range of education provision (including three City Academies); five Thames bridges (including Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge); the Central Criminal Court at Old Bailey; over 10,000 acres of open spaces (including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest), and three wholesale food markets. It is also London’s Port Health Authority and runs the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow. It works in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on the regeneration of surrounding areas and the City Bridge Trust, which it oversees, donates more than £15m to charity annually.