The Lord Mayor of London, William Russell, will this week (21 & 22 November) visit two leading UK finance hubs, Manchester and Leeds, calling on northern firms to join him on upcoming trade delegations abroad to explore international business opportunities and expansion.

The trip is the first of his Mayoralty and will be an effort to boost financial and business ties between the two northern cities and the City of London.

As an ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry, the Lord Mayor will meet senior politicians, as well as creative professionals, budding entrepreneurs and businesses that are at the heart of the cities’ success.

The meetings will also be used to foster a closer relationship in financial and professional services, particularly with Brexit looming, and promote the City Corporation’s strategy to strengthen links across the UK. Manchester and Leeds are key cities in the strategy, which is helping to increase inward investment and build awareness of how London can act as a springboard for local firms to export their products and services globally.

Like the City of London, Leeds and Manchester host strong financial and professional services clusters, share an ambitious innovation agenda, and have excellent access to talent via world-leading educational institutions.

Manchester has the second biggest financial centre outside London, joint with Edinburgh. Today, the region is home to more than 2.8 million people. Leeds offers businesses access to a highly-skilled workforce of 1.4 million people, with seven million people within an hour’s drive. As well as hosting a strong financial sector, it is home to the UK’s leading professional services hub outside of London, and internationally renowned technology, healthcare and manufacturing firms.

The visit will also be used to champion creativity and culture as part of the Lord Mayor’s ‘Global UK’ agenda which promotes growing global trade and investment, championing innovation, and promoting a rich and vibrant cultural and creative economy

William Russell, the Lord Mayor of London, said:

“With our departure from the European Union on the horizon, it is more important than ever that our cities work together to unlock the full potential of the UK economy. While here in Manchester and Leeds, I want to focus on bolstering the already-strong relationship that the City of London has with these two great cities.

“My message to any ambitious northern firm is clear: join me. I’ll be visiting around thirty countries across six continents in my year. It will be a real opportunity for firms to grow connections and expand business internationally.

“It is vital that our domestic economies work in tandem to further cement the UK as the leading financial and professional services centre in the world and strengthen our competitiveness on the global stage.”

The Lord Mayor will be tweeting from @CityLordMayor during his visit.

Notes to editors

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

The regional strategy involves the City of London Corporation engaging with cities in a number of ways, including:

• Inward investment: For firms looking to increase their domestic presence, the City Corporation can help facilitate the process of expanding their operations across the UK;
• Trade links: As part of their extensive programme of international travel, both the Lord Mayor of the City of London and the Policy Chair will invite representatives from the regions to join them in meeting senior representatives on the visits;
• International outlook: Building awareness of the opportunities and expertise London provides to UK-based firms to export their products and services globally.