London mayor Sadiq Khan has named a number of top tech executives to his panel of business advisers underlining the importance of the sector to the capital’s economy.
Executives from companies including Facebook, Citymapper and Love Home Swap have been appointed to the board, as first reported by Amira News.
It means nearly one-third of the 16 members of Mr Khan’s group work directly in the tech sector.
They include Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of Facebook responsible for European operations.
Last week, the social media company announced plans to create an additional 500 jobs in London when it moves to new headquarters in the city.
Among the other tech bosses joining the Mayor’s advisory board are Debbie Wosskow, founder and chief executive of Love Home Swap, a leading player in the so-called sharing economy
Also featured are Omid Ashtari, general manager of Citymapper; Kathryn Parsons, the entrepreneur behind the technology education company DeCoded; and Sarah Wood, co-founder and chief executive of video advertising tech group Unruly.
London’s financial services sector is represented by Virgin Money chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Lloyd’s of London boss Inga Beale and the London Stock Exchange’s Nikhil Rathi.
Other participants include: Constantin Cotzias, a director of Bloomberg; the Travelex founder Lloyd Dorfman; Laura Tenison, the founder of baby clothing retailer Jojo Maman Bebe; and Vivian Hunt, the managing partner of consulting firm McKinsey.
Mr Khan said he had handed 10 of the 16 roles to women to challenge the under-representation of businesswomen in senior positions.
He said: “London business is still coming to terms with the recent vote to leave the European Union.
“I am looking forward to working with the Business Advisory Board to strengthen London’s shield against the expected blows from Brexit and to seize the opportunities to show how London is open to jobs, growth and investment.”
