City Hall has today confirmed the membership of an International Business Advisory Council, headed by WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell, which will advise Mayor Boris Johnson on the capital’s economic well being.
Membership of the council includes business leaders from a number of well known companies including British Airways CEO Willie Walsh, Neville Isdell, Chairman of the Coca Cola Company and Financial Times Editor Lionel Barber.
In January former Mayor Ken Livingstone announced he had appointed Sorrell to head up an ‘International Council of Business Advisers’.
When asked about the similarity between the two announcements a City Hall spokesperson told MayorWatch the council announced today “has a different focus to the one envisaged under the previous mayor, which was to look at maximising business opportunities for the 2012 Olympics.”
The spokesperson said Mayor Johnson and Sir Martin “have agreed the focus will be broader, on maintaining London’s status as a top world city.”
In a statement issued Sunday, Mayor Johnson said the capital was “widely seen one of the foremost global cities in which to do business” and committed himself and the council to ensuring “that it maintains and build on this position.”
Mayor Johnson said he was “delighted that Sir Martin agreed to set up and Chair the first meeting of this extraordinary group of international business leaders and equally delighted that they wanted to be part of the process for making our city even better. That they accepted the invitation to serve on the Council says so much about London.”
Sorrell said: “IBAC London will be challenged with providing ideas and advice for the Mayor of London to help develop London’s economic and business policy over the years to come.”
“I am delighted to have been asked to be the inaugural Chair at such an important time for London, with just four years to go before the 2012 Olympic Games. A successful Games is clearly of enormous importance to London and London’s business. I hope IBAC London can play a major part in advising the Mayor on how this can be achieved.”
