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December 23, 2020

Leaders Giving Back to Society: Lord Mayor of London Sir Peter Estlin & Jonathan Bowman-Perks: Inspiring Leadership Interview

Podcast Details

Top Tip

Ask for forgiveness not permission. Take appropriate risk & push boundaries for yourself and others. Nurture and encourage. Balance – dont be cavalier nor too cautious.

This was a fascinating conversation with The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Peter Estlin – His theme was that “Leaders Giving Back to Society.” He was the 691st Lord Mayor of London and is an Alderman of the City of London, having served as its Sheriff for 2016–17. Peter is currently also an advisor to Barclays plc. He was educated at King Edward’s School, Witley & the University of Bristol. He became chartered accountant & partner with Coopers & Lybrand in 1993.

He was chief financial officer for Salomon Brothers Asia, and then for Citigroup in New York and London. He joined Barclays bank in 2008 and was appointed Acting Group Chief Financial Officer CFO in August 2013. Peter was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to international business, inclusion and skills.

Peter has 4 pillars to life: family, civic, business career & inclusion.

He also holds key roles in Trust for London and Future.now. His pace of life is accelerating as he gets older, not slowing. Peter’s Mother died when he was young and at when away at boarding school he had a life changing moment when he met the then Lord Mayor of London Sir Kenneth Cork. At 17 he developed a burning ambition to follow his footsteps – to be an Accountant then Lord Mayor.

We spoke of Mistakes – sadly he reflected that we don’t stop learning and continue to make mistakes. Ian McCluskey was a Partner – too much ambition – risk on not taking people with you. Develop EQ. His Top Tip – Ask for forgiveness not permission. Take appropriate risk & push boundaries for yourself and others. Nurture and encourage. Balance – dont be cavalier nor too cautious.

Now Peter describes himself as “Plural non executive with experience in Financial Services, Technology and Education on a mission to boost the digital skills of the UK, widening inclusion and contributing to the economy. Following a career in banking and finance spanning 30 years in London, Hong Kong and New York, my focus has turned to promoting digital innovation, digital skills and to improving digital inclusion, creating greater opportunity for all. “

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