BusinessLDN (spoken as Business London) is a
not for profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
with a membership composed of leaders of businesses in London, United Kingdom.
, it represented around 175 London based businesses.
Its stated aim is "to make London the best city in the world in which to do business".
History
London First was established in 1992 to meet a perceived lack of a unitary body to promote London after the dissolution of the
Greater London Council. Its first chair was
Allen Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Didgemere
Allen John George Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Didgemere, (25 December 1932 – 25 March 2015) was a British industrialist and Conservative member of the House of Lords.
He was educated at Ilford County High School and the London School of Eco ...
.
London First has supported plans to provide roofing over major roads in London amongst other transport infrastructure developments, a proposal that was under consideration by then London mayor
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
.
It has criticised the
Cameron ministry's proposal to require a bond of
£ 3 000 for some visitors to the UK.
London First was a partner in the 2014 "
Wikimania
Wikimania is the Wikimedia movement's annual conference, organized by volunteers and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Topics of presentations and discussions include Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia, other wikis, open-source software, f ...
".
Leadership
John Dickie was appointed chief executive in May 2021.
Its former chief executives were
Jasmine Whitbread and Baroness
Jo Valentine.
Leadership Team
* John Dickie - Chief Executive
* Muniya Barua - Deputy Chief Executive
* Dimitra Christakou - Chief Operating Officer
Board
The current chair is Paul Drechsler CBE who was appointed in May 2018. In October 2022, the organisation announced that Paul Dreschler CBE will be succeeded by
Sir Kenneth Olisa in 2023.
Policy Response
In July 2021, London First urged firms to return to the office, after the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
forced an increase in
remote work.
Rebranding
On 12 July 2022, London First renamed as BusinessLDN (spoken as Business London).
References
External links
* {{official website, https://www.businessldn.co.uk/
British lobbyists
Business organisations based in London
1992 establishments in England