Roger Gifford, Lord Mayor of the City of London, visits Peru
During his visit, the Lord Mayor talked with members of government and business leaders about how to further develop the already thriving relationship between Lima and London.
Lord Mayor at the Lima Stock Exchange
The Lord Mayor, Alderman Roger Gifford, along with British businesspeople, visited Lima between 9 - 11 July. His visit reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s recognition of the impressive performance the Peruvian economy has achieved in the last few years and also showed London’s interest in deepening its relationship with Peru.
The Lord Mayor’s visit to Peru took place after the successful inPERU roadshow in London in May, which brought together more than 500 British businesspeople.
His programme included meetings with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Luis Miguel Castilla, the Vice Minister of Housing, Ricardo Vidal, the Vice Minister of Construction, Hilda Sandoval, the Vice Minister of Pedagogic Management, Jose Vega, and the Vice Minister of Culture, Rafael Varon.
The Economy Minister said that the relationship developing between the Peruvian private sector and the United Kingdom is very important. He also said that there are plans to develop this relationship even further, including in the financial sector.
From left to right: British Ambassador James Dauris, Minister of Economy and Finance, Luis Miguel Castilla and Lord Mayor Roger Gifford
At the meeting with Javier Illescas, Head of Proinversion (Peru’s private investment promotion agency), they discussed how London and Lima could share their experience in urban development and regeneration, including how to best preserve historic buildings in a modern city environment. They also discussed opportunities for British companies to contribute to the development of infrastructure in Peru.
Lord Mayor also met with key business organisations in Peru, such as the Association of Banks, the Lima Stock Exchange and the Association of Pension Fund Administrators.
Francis Stenning, Lima Stock Exchange’s General Manager said “It’s an honour to receive the Lord Mayor and his delegation. This visit demonstrates how important initiatives like inPERU, which has been supported by Lima Stock Exchange since its beginning, are to strengthen the links between our markets, our business and our cooperation relationship. One example of where this is already happening is the recent cooperation agreement reached between Lima and London stock exchanges to implement a new platform for transactions as well as support in other key areas.”
During his visit to Lima, the Lord Mayor also awarded the “Mansion House Scholarship” to Carla Balbuena, a Peruvian professional in the financial sector, as part of the City of London’s scholarships programme for international students. Carla Balbuena is the first Peruvian to be awarded the Mansion House Scholarship. She will study a Master degree in Social and Development Policies at the London School of Economics.
Lord Mayor and Carla Balbuena, the first Peruvian to be awarded the Mansion House Scholarship
Cultural exchange was a key part of Lord Mayor’s visit programme. After his visit to the new National Grand Theatre, Lord Mayor said: “We are looking forward to expanding further the cultural links between London and Lima. I am delighted to be visiting the National Grand Theatre, an emblematic and great resource for Lima.” Likewise, he said that there are excellent opportunities to establish links with cultural institutions in the City, such as the Barbican Centre.
The Lord Mayor ended his visit to Peru by participating in the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the Cultural British Institutes in Latin America, an event in Lima that brought together the British institutes in the region.
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Thanks to the British government’s initiative to promote business between Peru and the United Kingdom, the British Embassy in Lima will launch a new preferential visas system on 16 July. This new service will reduce the time it takes to process a visa. Visitors travelling to the UK for personal reasons or for business can request this new service.