William Russell (Lord Mayor)

Sir William Anthony Bowater Russell (born 15 April 1965, London) is a British financier who served as the 692nd Lord Mayor of the City of London from 2019 to 2021.[1]

For other people with the same name, see William Russell (disambiguation).
Sir
William Russell
Lord Mayor Russell in 2021
692nd Lord Mayor of London
In office
9 November 2019 – 13 November 2021
Preceded bySir Peter Estlin
Succeeded byVincent Keaveny
Personal details
Born
William Anthony Bowater Russell

(1965-04-15) 15 April 1965
London, England, United Kingdom
Spouse(s)
Hilary Ann née Chaplin,
now Lady Russell
​
​
(m. 1989)​
Children4
Alma materDurham University
OccupationInvestment banker

Biography

Educated at Eton and Durham University, graduating B.A., Russell started his career in financial services at First Boston in 1987, and joined Merrill Lynch in 1992,[2] working in Hong Kong, New York and London, before leaving in 2006 for public service.[3][4]

Sheriff of the City of London for 2016–17, Russell was then elected Lord Mayor on 1 October 2019, taking office on 9 November 2019.[5][6] In view of the global disruption to public life brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russell was re-elected, on 29 September 2020, as Lord Mayor of London to serve a second term for 2021,[7] the first Lord Mayor to serve more than one term since William Cubitt, who was re-elected in 1861.[8] He is the fifth member of his family to have held this position.[9]

Russell represents Bread Street Ward as Alderman on the City of London Corporation since 2013.[10]

Russell is a Court Assistant to the Haberdashers' Company,[11] a Liveryman of the Feltmakers' and an Honorary Liveryman of the Paviors' Companies.[12]

He was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to "financial innovation, culture and wellbeing in the City of London, particularly during Covid-19".[13]

A keen cricketer, he is also a member of MCC,[14] and remains a member of the Advisory Board of Innovate Finance, an independent not-for-profit membership organisation serving the global FinTech community.[15]

Family

The only son of Anthony Russell, a stockbroker, he is in remainder to the family baronetcy,[16] created for his great-great-uncle, Charles Russell, founder of the eponymous law firm.

His mother, Charlotte née Bowater, was from a Kentish family of paper packagers;[17] her father, Sir Ian Bowater GBE, was Lord Mayor of London for 1969–70, and his father Sir Frank Bowater, Lord Mayor for 1938–39.[5] Russell is the fifth member of his family to hold the position of Lord Mayor of London.[9]

British actor Damian Lewis is his maternal half-brother.[18][19]

In 1989, Russell married Hilary Chaplin: they have four children.

Honours

Arms
Coat of arms of William Russell
Crest
A Goat passant Argent armed Or charged on the body with three Trefoils slipped fesswise Vert
Helm
That of a Knight
Escutcheon
Argent a Lion rampant Gules on a chief Sable three Escallops of the field the whole within a Bordure engrailed Vert
Motto
Che sera sera
(Eng: What will be, will be)
Orders
Behind the Shield, the badge of St John and suspended below, by a ribbon, the insignia of a Knight Bachelor:
;
Other elements
As Lord Mayor, Russell could impale the City of London arms (dexter) with his family arms (sinister):

See also

References
  1. "The Lord Mayor – City of London". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  2. www.bloomberg.com
  3. "CV" (PDF). William Russell. September 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  4. www.isaschools.org.uk
  5. "Next Lord Mayor of the City elected". This is about: William Russell. 9 November 2019.
  6. "The Lord Mayor-Elect". Lord Mayor's Show. 9 November 2019.
  7. Pullman, Nigel (17 April 2020). "Guildhall last night confirmed that William Russell will now remain in office [as LM] until November 2021". liverycompanies.info. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  8. "City of London plans 'back to work' week to revive Square Mile". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  9. Thomas, Daniel (2 July 2021). "Secretive lord mayor of London election thrown into disarray". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  10. "Member details – The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor, Alderman William Anthony Bowater Russell". Government of the United Kingdom. 21 November 2019.
  11. "Celebrating the Election of our Liveryman, Alderman William Russell, as Lord Mayor of London | The Haberdashers' Company". haberdashers.co.uk.
  12. "Global UK: Trade, Innovation and Culture – City of London". Government of the United Kingdom.
  13. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N2.
  14. www.cityam.com
  15. "Innovate Finance – The Voice of Global FinTech". Innovate Finance – The Voice of Global FinTech.
  16. Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 107th edn. 2003. p. 3442 (RUSSELL, Bt). ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  17. "Bio" (PDF).
  18. "Damian Lewis". IMDb. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  19. "Interview: Lord Mayor of London William Russell". London Evening Standard. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.

Additional reading
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