Welcome to this new conversation series on FT Adviser. In this series, our editors interact with people outside of financial services to gain new perspectives on global and national developments that may impact aspects of the financial industry in the future.
This podcast features the Mayor of London, Councilor Michael Mainelli.
We visited him at Mansion House to find out what he’s been up to in his first few months in office, and discuss the range of initiatives he’s launched, from re-pollinating the City of London to the theme of Connecting to Prosperity. Ta.
He told editor Simony Kiriakou: “The first thing I want to achieve is to position London as a center for solutions to some of the world’s problems.
“The second is to increase the number of connections we have, so my theme is ‘Connections to Prosperity’ and celebrate the City’s many knowledge miles.”
He said the final challenge was to show that London was “a place where things are happening”.
“It’s always been about trade and this has always been fundamental to London and the connections we have in what I colloquially call the ‘coffeehouse of the world’.”
This will not only encourage the media, technology and science sectors to flourish, but also the financial sector, he said.
He kindly hinted that if London were a modern coffee house, the FT would of course be the newspaper of choice, referring to the four original coffee houses where the various exchanges, including Lloyd’s, were founded.
He cited the city’s “huge knowledge ecosystem” with more than 40 academic societies, 70 higher education institutions and 130 research institutes in and around the city, adding: “Coffeehouses and academic societies are all intertwined. and its legacy is still evident today.” City.
That’s why he believes coffeehouses are a good metaphor for the discourse, collaboration and idea generation that London can and should be known for worldwide.
That’s why the spoon, created to commemorate the year he was sworn in as the 695th Mayor of London, depicts the original four coffeehouses and is topped with a puffin playing the bagpipes.
“Never tell anyone you like certain things until you’re in your 50s,” he said after the podcast, pointing to the rows of various puffins lined up in his office. “I’ve amassed quite a collection.”
To listen to the full conversation, click the link above and watch this space for the editor’s podcast: When that happens, talk to your former editor. A NASA scientist talks about AI in insurance.