The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Alan Yarrow, will be visiting Kuwait from 16-19 January as part of efforts to make sure that the UK remains the regional partner of choice when it comes to financial and professional services.

Acting as ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services, Lord Mayor Yarrow will be meeting senior members of the government, the Governor of the Central Bank, investment authorities and senior business leaders.

The Lord Mayor, will be joined by a wide ranging business delegation from the UK which includes senior representatives from investment banks, asset managers, insurers and law firms.

Speaking ahead of his trip, Lord Mayor Yarrow said:

“Kuwait is an incredibly important economic partner for the UK. The financial relationship between our two countries is only getting stronger as shown by the fact that our trade relationship with Kuwait has grown from £2 billion to £4 billion in the last two years.

“I hope my visit, joined by a number of City firms, will serve to build on this and show just what the UK can offer in the financial and professional services sector.”

On top of his various business meetings, the Lord Mayor will also visit the Kuwait Stock Exchange and attend a reception event with the Kuwaiti business community and the Energy Industries Council. The visit to the Kuwait forms part of wider 12-day visit to the Gulf from 16 – 28 January.

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.