David Wootton

Sir David Hugh Wootton (born 21 July 1950) is an English lawyer and politician. He was the 684th Lord Mayor of London, from 2011 to 2012, and is the Alderman of the Ward of Langbourn. Wootton was educated at Bradford Grammar School before going up to Jesus College, Cambridge, to read Classics and then Law. While at Cambridge he also captained his college’s boat club in 1972 and rowed in the First Boat which swept the board against all comers – and until he became Lord Mayor he endeavoured to row there once a year with his contemporaries. From 1979 to 2015 Wootton was a partner at Allen & Overy, the international law firm headquartered in London with offices in 30 countries, specialising in corporate transactions and best-practice compliance with law and regulation in corporate governance. This involves dealing with mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and joint ventures across various international markets. Having a strong interest in the governance of the City of London, Wootton stood for election to Common Council and was elected as Commoncouncilman for the Ward of Farringdon Within in 2002. In 2005 he was elected Alderman for the Ward of Langbourn. He was Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee and a member of the Policy and Resources and the City Lands and Bridge House Estates Committees. In 2009 he was elected Aldermanic Sheriff before serving as Lord Mayor of London for 2011–12. Wootton is chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen, which oversees the work of the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs and the Court of Aldermen and the operations of Mansion House. He chairs the Mayoral Visits Advisory Committee, which decides on and manages the programme of oversees visits by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, and serves on the Magistracy and Livery Sub Committee. He sits on the Policy & Resources Committee and the Resource Allocation and Public Relations and Economic Development Sub Committees, and is deputy chairman of the Courts Sub Committee, of the Policy & Resources Committee.