London's 'other mayor' is busy representing City brand name

David Lewis, the man whose job it is to act as ambassador for the UK's financial services, is in Dublin to talk about greater co-operation between the UK and Irish sectors, writes Laura Slattery.

DAVID LEWIS is not to be confused with floppy-haired Tory Boris Johnson.

The latter is the newly elected mayor of London, while Lewis is the 680th lord mayor of the City of London Corporation, and the man whose job it is to act as ambassador for the UK's financial services sector. Sadly for anyone who fancies hearing bumbling Boris's take on the credit crunch, it is Lewis who is in Dublin to talk about greater co-operation between the UK and Irish sectors.

Northern Ireland is the obvious place to start, and Lewis is fresh from last week's US/Northern Ireland investment conference - an event generally hailed as a success.

"The Americans who were there must have gone back to the States fully confident that the time is right to invest there," he says.

A solicitor by trade, Lewis's remit as lord mayor involves acting as head of the local government for the Square Mile. But apart from being a place on a map, the City is also the brand name given to the entire UK financial services sector, from Canary Wharf to Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

"Given that we've been told down here that there will be a shortage of people for financial services jobs, then Northern Ireland seems to be the best place to get them from," says Lewis.

From non-doms to capital gains, tax is at the top of his lobbying agenda. The decamping of UK plcs Shire and UBM to the Republic for tax reasons, and threats by others to follow, has prompted a review of the UK tax regime.

"There are signs that we may be losing business abroad and our chancellor is looking at that. It's always difficult when you're in pole position," Lewis says.

But it's not a competition, he believes: "We don't view Dublin as a competitor, or New York for that matter. What happens if your company is successful? The cake gets bigger for everyone."

Recently, however, the cake has been crumbling somewhat. London is still the biggest financial centre in the world, but the "gherkin", otherwise known as the Swiss Re tower, regularly appears on news bulletins as shorthand for economic upheaval.

Lewis is not losing sleep. The City employs 1.3 million people and 25,000-30,000 have to be seen in that context, he says.

"Every 8-12 years, there is a dip. There's not a recession, there is a slowdown. The UK press has been exaggerating the effects of the subprime crisis. It's serious, but it's not terminal."

During his year as lord mayor, Lewis will visit more than 20 countries, usually with the City's business leaders in tow. To represent them, you have to be one of them: a proven success at making money in the City. The job is an unpaid one, replete with Elizabethan costumes but unadorned by personal expenses. "You have to have made a few bob to do it," Lewis says.