Alderman the Lord Mountevans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London visited Oman recently. He took time off his busy schedule to talk about the strong historical ties between Oman and the UK and collaboration opportunities in future
Lord Mayor, you have had a number of discussions with senior officials in Oman. What were the main themes that were touched upon?
Oman is a very important place for the United Kingdom. It is a very close friend in the region and therefore we talked about all things important both historical and present. London and UK know that it is a challenging time for Oman and other countries in the region and we are very keen to help Oman in whatever way we can and to assist the Sultanate reach the goals that it may have set itself, at this time. This is my final visit to the region; in January I visited Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and now I am visiting Bahrain and Oman. So I made a big trip through the region getting to know the problems being faced in the region, as each country in the region faces similar issues. The fall in crude oil price has created a lot of problems in the region. I was particularly interested here in Oman to discuss the ways in which we can help in tiding over this difficult period.
In what ways, can London and the UK help Oman negotiate this difficult period?
A lot of the story is about diversification away from crude oil to get over the dependence on hydrocarbons and related energy sources. That brings into the picture human capital and the development of a flexible and fully qualified work force. The UK has a special place when it comes to education, training and qualification and a lot of our discussion was in this area.
Is the UK collaborating with Oman in the fields of education and training?
We have been collaborating for a very long time, but there is always work to do, as the diversification programme gathers pace and momentum. Skilling the workforce is very important and my visit is very timely. I want to pay attention not just to University education, but also training and qualifications in all sorts of professional areas like finance, accounting, legal, actuarial, company secretary and so on.
London is the financial capital of the world; how can Oman learn and benefit from its experience?
The existing relationship between the banks in Oman and London is already very good and there is a sophisticated Omani community that invests in the UK, and the relationship is very close. One thing, that I would be telling people back home is the potential that Oman possibly presents in areas like ports and infrastructure, health etc. Inward investment is very important and I would be stressing the potential here in Oman. On July 23, 2016, we will be holding an Oman Day in London City, where specialists will talk about potential investment opportunities and the potential of doing business in Oman.
Oman has identified various areas for diversification like ports and logistics, tourism, mining, manufacturing etc. Can Oman attract investment from the UK in these areas?
I am sure it could. Tourism is an area that holds a lot of promise. I was lucky to spend a few days here and I would say that the potential of tourism in this country is enormous. It is a very beautiful country with architecture that is both old and modern. There has been tremendous development over the last 40 odd years and a number of major buildings have come up, but all of them are so attractive and this country is an example of what can be done in modern buildings. If you put all that together with the ocean and mountains and the special character of people, the potential is enormous. For example, I would love to come back here.
Are there a couple of themes or achievements that you would like to highlight during your tenure as the Lord Mayor of London?
It is early to talk about achievements; as it is a one-year tenure and only one third of it is over. Every Lord Mayor has a number of ambitions and objectives. My theme is ‘innovate here, succeed anywhere’, and I am highlighting the City of London and the UK’s very strong record in innovation and the fact that it is a great place to do business.
Innovate here, succeed anywhere is a strong message. How are you planning to market this theme?
It is not the easiest thing to draw attention to examples of innovation. The City of London has always innovated and therefore it is the financial capital of the world. In September this year, we are going to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. This is the event from British history that is more known about outside the UK, than any other area. The fire is a good example of innovation, as it gave tremendous boost to the insurance sector. In London, we have an ability to learn from our experiences and this is a very important lesson to learn for any city or for an economy. We have had people invading us and there have been waves of immigrants and we have been able to learn from people who have come to our shores.
Can you share a brief background of your professional career?
As a teenager, I wanted to go into the Royal Navy, but my eyesight was not good enough and so I thought, I had to do something serious with my life and I went to University. While I was leaving Cambridge, I was still very interested in the sea and I became a shipbroker and joined Clarksons Platou – a very strong and respected business. Perhaps, unusually today in UK, I have been with the company for 44 years. The company has become the largest shipbroking business in the world and London is the centre of the international shipping business, so I have had a very interesting career. I feel that I have had a ringside view on globalization; this year we will see one and a half tonnes of cargo being carried by sea for every man, women and child on the planet. So it is a huge industry and I have been very lucky to be a part of it.
Down the line, people started saying – have you ever thought of becoming the Lord Mayor of London, and I thought I could not do it, as shipping is a very demanding business. But one day, I thought of exploring whether I could combine the two. I was lucky to be elected as an Alderman, and three years ago I was elected as the Sheriff of the City of London. This is a very ancient job, older than that of the Lord Mayor and in the olden days it was about law and order and collecting taxes, so everyone ran when they saw you. To be a candidate for Lord Mayor, you have to be an Alderman, which is an elected position in the City of London and you should have served as a Sheriff. Three years later, I am lucky to be serving as the Lord Mayor of London. I am the first maritime Mayor in 40 years, which is a bit surprising as maritime is a very important industry in the UK and has been the foundation of much of the city’s success. Under the Blair reforms, there are 90 hereditary peers who served in the House of Lords. I ran for elections in July 2015 and was fortunate to be elected; so after my year as the Lord Mayor of London, I am looking forward to serving in the House of Lords, our second chamber of the Parliament.
