Alison Littlewood
Alison Littlewood has been appointed as the Corporation’s Executive Director of HR & Chief People Officer.
Since joining the City Corporation in June 2023, she has overseen the development of the City Corporation’s first-ever People Strategy, which enables an inclusive, supportive City Corporation where all staff can thrive.
This was launched in tandem with the organisation’s Corporate Plan, in March.
The five-year Corporate Plan is designed to ensure the City Corporation focuses on its ambition to be a world-class organisation that fully embraces the needs and diversity of the communities it serves.
The City Corporation has almost 4,250 staff covering seven corporate departments, three service departments and seven major institutions.
Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said:
“Alison’s appointment is richly deserved after her outstanding work in helping oversee the launch of our first-ever People Strategy.
“This work is central to our journey as an organisation, and we are delighted Alison will continue to guide us on it.
“We value her experience and expertise at what is a pivotal moment for the City Corporation.
“Our work is diverse and wide ranging, from supporting the Square Mile as the engine of the UK economy and promoting the UK’s financial and professional services industry, to delivering high-quality public
services, looking after our residents, and ensuring our open spaces continue to thrive for the benefit of all.”
Corporation Town Clerk and Chief Executive, Ian Thomas CBE, said:
“I am absolutely delighted by Alison’s appointment. She has really led the charge on our first-ever People Strategy, and her can-do will-do attitude and wealth of experience has been a huge asset.
“We are very excited to have developed our five-year People Strategy. This will ensure we create an exceptional work environment where employees have the skills, recognition and motivation to deliver our ambitious Corporate Plan.
“Together, our Corporate Plan and People Strategy will enable us to be our brilliant best and become a truly world-class organisation.”
Corporation Executive Director of HR & Chief People Officer, Alison Littlewood, said:
“The City Corporation is an extraordinary and unique organisation. For 900 years, we have served as custodians of the nation’s trading centre, the beating heart of London.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for us to build together a modern and dynamic organisation with a sustainable future.
“Our People Strategy is at the core of this and it will be monitored, reviewed, and refreshed throughout its five-year life cycle.
“We all contribute to the environment and culture that enables the City Corporation to thrive. The story that we are writing is in our hands and we will shape our future together over the next five years.”
Before joining the City Corporation, Alison had extensive experience in senior leadership roles in HR, and Organisational Development, including both the private and public sector and in local government in the London boroughs of Haringey, Kingston, Lambeth, and Tower Hamlets.
Alison has strong family connections with the City. Her father worked in Threadneedle Street for a large part of his career and her grandfather was a Liveryman.
A keen runner, she completed the Berlin Marathon in 2014 and after deciding never to do another one, the London Marathon in 2022.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
The City Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London, within a globally successful UK.
The organisation has a unique role in being the local authority for the , as well as promoting the UK financial and professional services industry at home and abroad, through international visits to key global markets by its Lord Mayor and its Policy Chairman.
Its Destination City programme has set out a vision to make the Square Mile a world-leading leisure destination, and the organisation is one of the largest funders of heritage and cultural activities in the UK, investing over £130m every year. It manages and supports a range of world-class cultural and heritage institutions for the public good, including the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Guildhall Art Gallery, and London Metropolitan Archives.
Through its Family of Schools, careers festivals, and skills programmes, the City Corporation helps to boost the education, skills and life-long learning for people of all ages. It runs some of the country’s best public services, protecting 11,000 acres of green space, such as Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, providing social housing on 12 estates across the capital, managing wholesale markets, and acting as the London Port Health Authority and the Animal Health Authority for Greater London.
The City Corporation plays a leading role in maintaining the Square Mile as the safest business district in the world through its Police Authority Board, which supports and scrutinises the work of the Police, the National Lead Force for Fraud, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for economic, cyber and business crime. It also owns and manages the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), where some of the highest profile criminal trials in England and Wales are held.
It is the sole trustee of the City Bridge Foundation – which maintains five iconic London bridges, and awards charity grants of over £30 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital – and it has also made an extra £200 million available over five years from 2021 to 2026 to support London’s charity sector. The City Corporation also supports the City’s Livery Companies, which through their work on trade, skills, and education, contribute over £75m each year to charity.
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