Thank you for visiting my personal website.
I have been a Common Councillor for the Ward of Walbrook – right in the heart of the City of London – since 2013, representing the views of businesses and residents in the Ward and across the City. I was re-elected in the City wide elections in 2017 and 2022.
I have worked in or been closely connected with the City or “Square Mile” for over 30 years. My interest in, and experience of, the City of London is as deep as it is broad.
My passions are housing, policing, education and the City of London.
This website gives you more information about my aims, priorities, interests and activities. Do please explore via the Menu.
Housing
I am non-executive Chairman and the former Chief Executive of MJ Gleeson plc the UK’s largest listed house builder of quality low-cost homes for first time buyers. I was previously Chief Executive of Keepmoat Homes, the UK’s largest private builder of low cost and affordable homes.
I was Chairman of the City of London’s Housing Delivery committee looking at how the City delivers 3,750 new affordable homes for Londoners.
I also previously served as a non-executive board member of the Housing & Finance Institute (HFI) an accelerator hub that works with industry and public sector partners to increase housing supply to help stimulate the new affordable homes that the UK needs.
Policing
I am Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board which acts in the capacity as the local police authority for the City of London Corporation. I have been on the Police Authority Board since 2015.
I am a member of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and I am a member of the Board of the APCC as well as one of the APCC leads on Fraud, Economic and Cyber crime. I am also Chair of the National Cyber Resilience Group.
I am also a non-executive Director and Chair of Audit and Risk of the Serious Fraud Office the specialist body that investigates and prosecutes the top level of serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption.
For 12 years I was also a volunteer police officer, or Special Constable, with the City of London Police where I regularly dealt first hand with crime and crime prevention as a police officer patrolling the streets of the City and sometimes outside of it. In 2007 I was awarded Special Constable of the Year by the City Police.
Education
I am a governor of the Board of Governors of the City of London School and I am its immediate past Chairman.
I also served for 12 years on the development committee of an educational charity supporting students and teaching at Oxford University.
Early career – working in the City
I trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London where I specialised in financial services. I then spent 10 years in banking in the City at HSBC and Deutsche Bank advising companies, raising capital and focussing on the transport sector. In that time I spent 3 years advising the ANC led Government of National Unity in South Africa.
After banking I worked for Smiths Group plc, the UK based international engineering group. Prior to joining Keepmoat, I was finance director of DTZ (now part of Cushman & Wakefield), the property services firm, based in Walbrook in the Old Stock Exchange Tower.
Charity and Civic
Outside of my professional work and my role as a Common Councillor, I am an Assistant of the Grocers Company and a past Master (2022/23) – which itself is situated in the Ward of Walbrook – and where I actively support its charity fundraising and giving.
I am also a freeman of the Chartered Accountants’ Company being my professional livery association.
I am a churchwarden at St Stephen Walbrook situated in Walbrook Ward.
I was also previously on the committee of a local amenity body in Westminster for 10 years representing residents’ views on a wide range of issues including planning and licencing.
Further details and contacting me further
You will find further details on the pages of this website and by clicking here to access my Linked-In page.
I would like to hear about what matters to you in the City and Walbrook Ward. Click here for how to contact me.
Published and promoted by James Thomson