Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli is Lord Mayor of the City of London from 10 November 2023 till 10 November 2024. Michael’s working theme is ‘Connect To Prosper - The Knowledge Miles In The World's Coffeehouse’: to celebrate the many Knowledge Miles of The Square Mile. These are the global knowledge connections that will solve our world’s problems. London is the world’s coffeehouse where people bring their dreams to get them realised. Over 40 learned societies, 70 universities, and 130 research institutes surround the City. Our workforce is as much ‘science & tech’ as ‘finance’. ‘The Knowledge Mile’ draws on the world’s most productive concentration of knowledge networks. But why do dreams matter? Because they lead to solutions for our problems, most notably the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Naturally, realising dreams involves everything from the creative and technical start to the support of professional and financial services. The Knowledge Mile will follow and build on Vincent Keaveny’s “People & Purpose” as well as Nick Lyon’s “Financing Our Future”.

In this introductory lecture, Professor Mainelli will lay out his vision for his 2023/2024 mayoral year of lectures, and expand upon his working theme, the 'Knowledge Mile', offering a range of technology-focused topics which will be of particular interest to City companies and City workers. A unique element will be the bringing together of the livery companies, the learned societies and research institutes to be found in London and more specialised university centres, with the aim of underlining the importance of London as an intellectual centre.

Speaker:

Professor Michael Mainelli FCCA FCSI(Hon) FBCS, Chairman, Z/Yen Group, is a qualified accountant, securities professional, computer specialist, and management consultant. Michael was educated at Harvard University and Trinity College Dublin and gained his PhD at the London School of Economics where he was also a Visiting Professor of Innovation & IT. Michael is Emeritus Professor, Fellow, & Trustee at Gresham College where he created the Long Finance initiative asking “when would we know our financial system is working?” His third book, "The Price Of Fish: A New Approach To Wicked Economics And Better Decisions", won the Independent Publisher Book Awards Finance, Investment & Economics Gold Prize. Michael is an Alderman and was a Sheriff of the City of London 2019-2021.