About Mayoral Appraisal process

Mayoralty and Shrievalty

To become Lord Mayor, one must be an Aldermanic Sheriff first

The Lord Mayor must be chosen from the Aldermen of the City of London. Those on the electoral roll of each of the City's 25 wards select one Alderman, who must submit for re-election at least once in every six years.

The election happens at Michaelmas (29 September) when the Livery Companies vote at Common Hall. The chosen candidate is known as the ‘Lord Mayor Elect’ until the day before the Lord Mayor’s Show, when he or she is sworn into office in the Silent Ceremony. 

The two Sheriffs of the City of London form an integral part of the City of London’s Civic Team, supporting and upholding the rule of law as custodians of the Old Bailey advising on matters important to the City, and supporting the Lady Mayor across their full range of business, civic, diplomatic and ceremonial activities.

The Sheriffs are elected each year on Midsummer’s Day by the City Livery Companies. One must be an Alderman - the senior representative of one of the City's Wards, and another elected position - and both Sheriffs need to be members of a Livery Company. Their tenure is one year and runs from September to September.

Nominations Committee of the Court of Aldermen

The Nominations Committee of Aldermen is one of the Court of Aldermen’s two standing committees. The other is the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen. The Nominations Committee has oversight of the Aldermanic appraisal arrangements and is the decision-making body in respect of future progression to High Office (Shrievalty and Mayoralty), subject to the Election of Sheriffs and the Election of Lord Mayor which take place at Common Hall each year.

The Nominations Committee’s work in respect of the Court’s annual appraisal arrangements is supported by an advisory panel (the Shrieval and Mayoral Interview Panel which comprises of independent representatives drawn from the businesses within the City of London. The annual appraisal process usually takes place between February and May each year.

Below is the annual letter to the Town Clerk & Chief Executive outlining who the Nominations Committee of the Court of Aldermen is supporting for progression to the Mayoralty.

23 June 2025

Town Clerk's Office
Ian Thomas
Town Clerk & Chief Executive

To the Masters, Prime Wardens, Upper Bailiff and Clerks of the several Livery Companies

Dear Sir / Madam,

2025 Aldermanic Appraisal Process

The Nominations Committee of the Court of Aldermen met last week to consider the Independent Panel’s appraisal and the formal nomination submissions of those Aldermen considering higher Office.

Firstly, the Court of Aldermen would like to take this opportunity to record their sincere and formal thanks to the Independent Appraisal Panel members for their time and diligence in conducting their appraisal of the candidates in nomination, with special thanks to Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia who chaired the Panel.

The Court of Aldermen is pleased to share with the Livery the names of those Aldermen/Alderwomen whom it is supporting for progression to the Mayoralty.  

The Court's position on the Mayoralty for 2025/2026 has already been communicated but I will recap. At the election of the Lord Mayor later this year, if Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley DBE is one of the two Aldermen/Alderwomen whose name is returned by the Livery to the Court, then she will be elected.

In addition to Alderwoman Langley, the Court is pleased to re-iterate that it has agreed to support a strong pipeline of Aldermen whom they and the Independent Panel consider ready to progress to the Mayoralty over the next few years.

Specifically, the Court confirmed that Alderman Timothy Hailes, JP shall be supported for the Mayoralty in 2026/2027, subject to an election at Common Hall in 2026. Consequently, if Alderman Hailes is one of the two Aldermen/Alderwomen whose name is returned at Common Hall in 2026, he will be elected.

For the year 2027/28, the Court has expressed its support for Alderman Bronek Masojada, subject to a formal vote of confirmation next year.  

In respect of the Shrievalty, the Court’s position for 2025/26 has already been communicated but I will recap. At the forthcoming Common Hall, the Court is supporting Alderman Robert Hughes Penney for the Office of Sheriff.

Looking forward, it is the Court’s desire to build a bench of Aldermanic candidates for future progression to the Mayoralty, and in doing so, to provide suitable future flexibility over individual timing. As a result, the Court’s position for 2026/27 is to support both  Alderman Prem Goyal CBE and Alderman Tim Levene as Aldermanic candidates for the Office of Sheriff, with the intention of reverting to a single nomination in 2027/28.

As in previous years, the Court hopes that this process of deciding which candidates it will support for progression to higher Office in the years ahead continues to be of benefit to the Livery.

Yours sincerely,

Gemma Stokley
Principal Governance and Member Services Manager

cc:
All members of the Court of Common Council
All members of the Court of Aldermen
The Officers of the Court of Aldermen
The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Livery Committee
External representatives on the Shrieval and Mayoral Interview Panel