The Lord Mayor of London, global ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry, is set to visit Vancouver, San Francisco and Mexico City this week (10-14 December) to strengthen trade and investment links.

Lord Mayor Peter Estlin, who took office last month, will begin his first overseas visit in Vancouver on Monday where he will meet with Canadian investors as well as senior figures from the financial and digital sectors including HSBC Canada, Chrysalix Venture Capital and Global Relay.

The Lord Mayor will then head to San Francisco where he will be accompanied by a business delegation drawn from 15 UK organisations, with a particular focus on fintech (see below for the full list). They are expected to meet with a number of major financial and digital companies including Facebook and Silicon Valley Bank, while a reception to celebrate US and UK partnership on fintech and identify new business opportunities will be held at The Battery on Tuesday 11 December in collaboration with Blenheim Chalcot and GBx.

The final leg of the Lord Mayor’s visit will involve travelling to Mexico City to engage with the new Presidential administration, which took office earlier this month. He is set to meet with the Minister of Finance and Governor of the Mexican Central Bank. The Lord Mayor will witness the signing of a partnership agreement between the Mexican authorities and the City of London Corporation’s Green Finance Initiative, while he will also award a Mansion House Scholarship.

Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin said: “I’m delighted to be visiting North America for my first overseas visit. There are huge opportunities for British firms in Canada, the USA and Mexico when it comes to fast-growing markets such as fintech and green finance, as well as financial and professional services more broadly.

“I will be there to promote British business and innovation, positioning UK firms as natural partners for North American tech businesses and demonstrating how the City of London, as a world leading financial centre, can support their ideas and growth.”

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said: “The UK already has strong economic and cultural ties across North America as a result our shared histories, values, and open liberal economies.

“Trade between the UK and Canada, USA and Mexico is worth £202.1bn and the Lord Mayor’s visit is a major opportunity to strengthen these relationships by showcasing the UK’s innovative financial and digital sectors.”

Charles Mindenhall, Co-Founder of Blenheim Chalcot, said: “For businesses in the UK, making the first move into the US market can seem a formidable challenge. But we’ve seen our ventures use the advantage of their unique innovations developed in the UK to grow their businesses in North America through careful market analysis and customer-focused marketing and development.

“We’re immensely proud to be joining the Lord Mayor on this visit to strengthen connections with influential business leaders on the West Coast - and demonstrate how London’s best and brightest are using the power of data to accelerate the pace of the change in a range of industries.”

The Lord Mayor’s visit will have a strong focus on promoting British digital innovation, which ties in to his mayoral programme Shaping Tomorrow’s City Today. Key pillars of this programme include: promoting innovation and technology, championing digital skills and addressing digital and social inclusion.

Peter Estlin is a Senior Adviser to Barclays plc having joined in 2008. Most of his career has been spent in banking, initially as CFO for Salomon Brothers Asia, then CFO for Citigroup’s Investment and Corporate Banking divisions in New York and London. He joined Barclays in 2008 as Group Financial Controller and has been CFO of the Retail & Business Banking and Non-Core divisions as well as Acting Group CFO.

List of organisations joining San Francisco delegation

• Business champion: Charles Mindenhall, Co-Founder of Blenheim Chalcot
• Azimo
• Barclays
• Comply Advantage
• Department for International Trade
• Fitzgerald & Law
• Funding Circle
• Grant Thornton
• Hive Learning
• Innovate Finance
• Liberis
• Modulr
• Onfido
• Osborne Clarke
• Salary Finance

ENDS

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