Lady Mayor: It’s not right to pretend I’m no different to my male predecessors
After debuting as London’s first ‘Lady Mayor’, Susan Langley was inundated with emails telling her how she had inspired young girls to dream of leadership. Today, on International Women’s Day, she tells us about being the first woman to hold the position
The role of Lord Mayor of London dates back over 800 years and to date only three women have filled the post. I could’ve glossed over the issue of gender and insisted that I was no different to my male predecessors. But that wouldn’t have been authentic, and it wouldn’t have been right.
The make-up of the City has changed considerably since I first started in the Square Mile. Women now make up around half of entry level positions in finance, but they’re still significantly underrepresented in senior roles, with just 15-20 per cent of top jobs held by women.
After riding through the City in the golden state coach during the Lady Mayor’s Show, my inbox was filled with messages from parents telling me how inspired their daughters were to see a woman in the role, acting as global ambassador for UK financial and professional services. It made me realise that it’s not good enough to simply tell young girls they can achieve their dreams, we have to show them that they belong too. Because, if you can’t see something, how do you aspire to it? Representation does matter, and I’m really proud to not only be the third woman in post, but to have made the intentional choice to be styled as “Lady Mayor”.
Of course, representation is just one part of the puzzle. As well as the confidence to enter the business world, women also need financial backing.
The UK has a growing cohort of female-founded unicorns like Starling Bank and Flo Health. But, while there’s reams of evidence showing female founded businesses are a great investment – generating 35 per cent higher returns – they receive less than two per cent of all equity investment. Too often, investors let their unconscious biases get in the way of good investments. In controlled studies, when participants listened to the exact same pitch, they were roughly twice as likely to fund the venture if it was presented by a male voice, rather than a female voice. And, sometimes, women don’t pitch with the same confidence.
Women are an untapped reservoir of talent and revenue
The investment gap for female-led businesses isn’t just holding back individual women, it’s damaging to our economy, too. Estimates show some £250bn could be added to the UK’s economy if women were to start and scale their businesses at the same rate as men. Hilary Clinton once described women as “the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world”. In an increasingly competitive, fast-changing world, equality isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s a matter of national and global prosperity and security.
Led by industry and backed by the government, the Invest in Women Taskforce is trying to find and claim that missing slice of economic growth by delivering one of the world’s largest funding pools for female-powered businesses. Meanwhile, in December, Cardiff fintech Data Wollet became the inaugural investment in the Angel Academe EIS Fund, the UK’s first, specialised fund for female-founded, high-growth startups.
But investment alone isn’t enough to move the dial. We need a holistic, robust approach, with stakeholders working together to equip women with the skills and support they need to scale. That’s why, during my mayoralty, we’re focusing on “unsquaring” the Square Mile, and helping people from underrepresented or underserved communities get on in the City.
This year’s IWD theme is “Give to Gain”, and I want young women to access the same sort of opportunities I’ve had. So, we’re running a series of City Insight Days, where businesses run interactive sessions for young people, to prove that the City’s not a scary place to work. And this week, we’re hosting a special event for highly-accomplished female leaders and rising stars across a range of sectors, to celebrate the former and provide inspiration for the latter.
In 2026, it’s not enough to help women through the door; we have to make sure they don’t get caught on a sticky floor or hit a glass ceiling, too. That means giving promising young women something to aspire to. And it means ensuring they have access to the right investment, opportunities and support. Because there should be no limits to what women can achieve.
Susan Langley is the Lady Mayor of Canada