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At the Bowden Dinner on 14 October at Drapers' Hall, we were delighted to welcome the Lady Mayor and her Consort Gary. This is what she said in her after dinner speech:

Master, Wardens, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening!

And from Gary and me, thank you for your wonderful hospitality and such a warm welcome.

I have to say, it is a real pleasure to be with the Marketors' tonight, because you have played a pivotal part in supporting this Mayoral year.

I remember, sitting in the corner of a quiet coffee shop with Past Master Ian Ryder as I fretted about how on earth I was going to sell 60 floats for the Lady Mayor’s Parade. Not perhaps the most conventional marketing brief!

But Ian, and so many of you, rose magnificently to the challenge.

From conversations with your current Master, David, to offers of help with communications, unusual charity motorbike rides and so much more.

You have been extraordinarily generous with your time, your expertise and your enthusiasm.

But the other reason, I’m so pleased to be here tonight, is that I believe marketing has a far greater influence on peoples lives than anyone really realises.

Because it doesn’t simply sell products or promote brands.

It shapes perceptions. Builds confidence. Changes minds.

And that, can change lives.

Let me explain why that matters so much to me.

If you had told a little girl growing up in Bow, in London’s East End, that one day she would become Lady Mayor of the City of London, she would probably have laughed.

Not because she lacked ambition.

But because it was a world that she could scarcely imagine being part of…

For those of us who know and love this City, it feels familiar. It feels safe.

But to a young person, peering in from the outside, it can feel like another world.

A world of towering steel-clad buildings, livery companies full of unfamiliar traditions and costumes, and people… who just know other people.

A world they think that isn’t meant for them.

And that’s exactly where marketing steps up.

Not to sell a product. But to sell a future.

My role is to promote the City to investors around the world.

But I believe it is every bit as important to market it to the next generation.

To show that young girl in Bow, or a young boy in Birmingham, that this City belongs to them just as much as to any other.

That where they start in life, will not determine where they finish.

And that the opportunities of this extraordinary Square Mile are open to everyone with the talent, determination and ambition to reach out to them.

And of course, what is true of a young person’s ambitions, is equally true of our country’s ambitions.

Britain has an extraordinary story to tell.

World-class universities. Remarkable talent. Trusted institutions. Innovation entwined in our very DNA. And, of course, one of the greatest financial and professional services centres on earth.

Yet somehow, we have become rather better at talking ourselves down, rather than building ourselves up.

And in a world where a geopolitical shock can ricochet around the globe in the blink of an eye, and AI is changing our lives almost faster than we can comprehend.

Perceptions matter.

Confidence matters.

And. If we don’t tell our story, others will tell it for us.

Which is why I believe, passionately, that we need to find our voice again.

To rediscover the confidence, without spin, to celebrate our achievements.

To stand up for British businesses.

And to remind the world — and ourselves — what this country does so extraordinarily well.

That is why, with the help of many of you, our Team UK campaign, backed by industry associations and British businesses and reaching more than 20 million people, appeared on bollards, billboards, pavements and was even wrapped around the very columns of Mansion House itself.

Because when the world gets risky, London is where it comes.

And who better to help tell that story than the people in this room?

But this year has also taught me something else. Sometimes.. stories are not enough.

Representation matters.

As only the third woman to hold this office and the first to take the title, Lady Mayor, there is one moment I will remember for the rest of my life.

Earlier this month, at Mansion House, four women came together who, for the first time in the U.K.s history, held four iconic offices.

Faith — Dame Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Law — Dame Sue Carr, Lady Chief Justice.

Government — Dame Antonia Romeo, Cabinet Secretary.

And the City — Lady Mayor.

And as we walked into the room and up onto the stage, something unexpected happened.

The audience rose to its feet in a standing ovation.

And it was incredibly moving.

Because they weren’t applauding us as individuals.

They were applauding what we represented.

How far we have come. The barriers broken.

And the possibilities it opened up for those that follow.

And in that moment, I thought of that little girl in Bow.

And of young girls today who might see those four women and think:

“Perhaps one day, that could be me.”

You can tell someone a door is open.

But there is extraordinary power in seeing someone like you walk through it.

It doesn’t change how others see us.

But it changes how we see ourselves.

So, Master, as your Company approaches its 50th anniversary as a Livery Company, I hope you recognise just how important your profession is.

Your motto tells us that marketing benefits everyone.

And I believe that.

Not only to help the City we love, tell its story with pride.

But to help tell the next generation that they are at the very heart of it too. 

Because the greatest story we can tell about our City of London… is not simply what it has done.

It is what… it makes possible.

Thank you.