Thank you for visiting my personal website.
I have been a Common Councillor with the City of London Corporation representing the Ward of Walbrook since 2013, representing businesses and residents both in the Ward and across the City. Walbrook is situated in the very heart of the City of London, a busy area centred around Bank Junction.
I was re-elected in the City wide elections in 2017 and 2022. I am intending to stand again in March 2025 together with Alethea Silk, my fellow Common Councillor for Walbrook Ward: “Team Walbrook”.
35 Year’s Experience of the Square Mile
I have worked in or been closely connected with the City of London or “Square Mile” for some 35 years and a summary of my experience is set out below.
My experience spans financial and professional services, real estate, construction, housing, policing/law enforcement, education, philanthropy and government – gained in the UK and internationally.
I was awarded a CBE for policing and inclusion in the 2025 New Year’s Honours.
This website gives you more information about my aims, priorities, interests and activities as well as how to contact me. Do please explore via the Menu.
Financial and Professional Services – 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.
During that time I spent 3 years advising the ANC led Government of National Unity in South Africa on its Growth, Employment and Redistribution plan.
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.
Housing – delivering low cost affordable homes for those that need them
I am now non-executive Chairman and 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.
Since 2012, I have been involved in delivering over 30,000 new homes nationally at an average sales price of just £150,000.
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 founding 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 – locally and nationally
I am Deputy Chair and former 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 and I have worked with the City Police for over 22 years since 2002.
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.
I served on the board of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and was the APCC lead on Fraud, Economic and Cyber crime.
I was the founder Chair of the National Cyber Resilience Group supporting the work of regional Cyber Resilience Centres and their aim of bolstering cyber resilience of SMEs.
For over 12 years I was also a volunteer police officer, or Special Constable, with the City of London Police where I was a response police officer and regularly dealt first hand with crime and crime prevention 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 – investing in our future
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.
I actively continue to support access and bursary provision.
Charity and City Civic
I am a board member of the City Bridge Foundation, the UK’s sixth largest charity. The City Bridge Foundation is a charitable trust, originating in the late eleventh century and formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation. It was originally established to maintain London Bridge and, subsequently, other bridges – it’s primary purpose. As well as maintaining the bridges, the estates also makes charitable grants of some £30m a year to London causes – in total some £760m since 1995 when its ancillary purpose was approved by the Charity Commission. CBF has total funds of £1.6 billion.
As part of my broader support for the City, I am actively engaged in a number of other City organisations where 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;
- a freeman of the Chartered Accountants’ Company being my professional livery association; and
- a churchwarden of St Stephen Walbrook situated in the heart of 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
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
Grocers’ Hall, Princes Street, Walbrook Ward, City of London EC2R 8AD