News & Views

At the 2025 Global Wealth Conference Charity Dinner, held in the historic Old Ballroom of Mansion House, Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney delivered a powerful address. His remarks highlighted London's pivotal role in global finance, its strengths as an investment hub, and the City’s growing leadership in impact investing.

Global Wealth Conference Charity Dinner 

Old Ballroom, Mansion House 
Wednesday 18th June 2025 
Lord Mayor’s Aldermanic Representative 
Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney 

Chair of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, Chair of the Investment Managers’ Charity, Master, My Lord, Distinguished Guests, Ladies & Gentlemen,

Thank you, Lakshmi, and the entire SWFI team for arranging this magnificent evening and bringing together this remarkable gathering of global wealth leaders. 

It is wonderful to be at Mansion House for this occasion—a venue that has witnessed centuries of the City's commitment to both commerce and charity.  

The room we are in tonight was once a famous ballroom, mentioned in William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair, while the eagle-eyed among you may have spotted more than a few depictions of eating, drinking, and revelry in the plasterwork that adorns these walls too, a reminder that while this city has been known for centuries as a global centre for business and trade, it has served for even longer as a hub for connections, a magnet for talent, and a place where people network and come together.  

We are delighted that this Global Wealth Conference, with its focus on growth and connectivity, continues that long and proud tradition here, at Mansion House, today.  

It will not surprise you to hear me say that London has a remarkable offering for investors.  

Indeed, the UK is not only the second largest asset management centre in the world, but is also home to the highest number of overseas offices of sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds - from AustralianSuper to Mubadala and Temasek.  

That’s no coincidence, but is thanks to a deep network of companies, investors, advisers, and decision makers all in one place, with specialist managers and innovative products able to support a wide range of investment priorities.   

And given tonight’s charitable aims, it would be remiss of me not to mention that the City of London remains a Centre of Excellence in impact investing too - representing around 9% of the global market.  

But we’re keen to make that already extraordinary offer even more attractive.  

It is why, here at the City of London Corporation, we are excited to be partnering with regulators, His Majesty’s Treasury, and the Office for Investment to establish a new investment hub - a concierge service that will remove barriers to entry and make it easier for international investors to navigate our regulatory landscape and invest in the UK.   

While the Mansion House Accord, launched by the Lord Mayor last month, offers a new platform through which sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors can co-invest with 17 of the largest workplace pension providers both in the UK’s long-term, stable, high-potential sectors, and in promising opportunities around the world.  

Some of you may have seen a copy of the Accord on the staircase as you arrived. If you didn’t, I would thoroughly recommend having a look as you head home this evening.  

With the potential to unlock up to £100 billion of investment - 50% here in the UK, and 50% overseas - it is a landmark agreement that could move the dial on how we invest in the industries of the future.   

Ultimately, all of us who work in investment share the same mission: to help people make good financial decisions.  

Whichever area our focus lies - from tackling climate change to harnessing new technologies, driving growth or, indeed, supporting philanthropic endeavourers - very little can be achieved without capital and cooperation. 

Tonight has brought both of those strands together - an opportunity to exchange expertise, share best practice, and explore areas of mutual interest.  

My thanks to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute for bringing us together today, to our speakers for their time and insight…and of course, to all of you for being here at this charity dinner to not only discuss those industries of the future, but perhaps more importantly, to support our successors - the next generation of investment managers…and the people of the future.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, as we conclude this remarkable day of insights and networking, let us remember that our greatest asset is not any particular investment strategy or innovative technology, but the quality of leadership that guides our decisions and stewardship. The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute's charitable mission represents this commitment made manifest—a tangible expression of our belief that elevating wealth leadership is the foundation upon which sustainable global prosperity is built. And I know that the Investment Managers Charitable Trust is a worthy and grateful recipient of your support. 

I hope tomorrow’s discussions in Westminster are as fruitful as those that have taken place during the course of today.  

May I now ask you all to rise and join me in a toast to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute and its mission of elevating wealth leadership worldwide, coupled with the name of its distinguished Chairman, Mr Lakshmi Narayanan.