City figurehead welcomes stability for financial sector

IMPORTANT business links between Leeds and the City of London have been further strengthened this week with a two-day visit from the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

The visit, hosted by Leeds Financial Services Initiative, saw Alderman Ian Luder meet members of LFSI and other business and civic leaders.

The Lord Mayor said he had been pleased to hear a “realistic” message from business and financial representatives he had met during his visit to Yorkshire.

“It confirms that the position is stable. People feel it’s calmer and more stable,” he said.

Howard Kew, chief executive of LFSI, said: “We value these visits as an important part of our work in raising the profile of the Leeds city region. As the leading financial services centre outside of London, the Leeds city region has an important role in the UK financial industry and this is recognised in the work of Lord Mayor and the City in promoting the whole of the UK industry.”

Alderman Luder is a chartered accountant and has been tax partner at Grant Thornton since 2002. Previously he was tax partner and head of private clients at Arthur Anderson. 

The Lord Mayor’s principal role is ambassador for the whole of the UK financial services sector. In this role he spends some 90 days abroad on trade missions and visits and overseas he is treated as a UK cabinet minister. He advises the Government on what is needed to help the UK financial services sector function well.

LFSI has long established links with the Lord Mayor’s office. The chief executive attends official events in London and in June joined the Lord Mayor’s trade mission

to China. Last September the previous Lord Mayor presided over the launch of LFSI’s London & International Committee.

The Lord Mayor’s visit included a reception for LFSI members at Grant Thornton’s Leeds office, a dinner hosted at Leeds University Business School, breakfast with the Leeds Lord Mayor, the chief executive and the leader of Leeds City Council and meetings with the Bank of England Yorkshire & Humber agent, LFSI’s Banking Group, the CBI and Leeds Chamber of Commerce, Yorkshire Forward, Leeds Business School, Leeds Building Society and Leeds Legal.