Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Susan Langley, the City’s first titled Lady Mayor, takes us through her career in Square Mile and Me

CV

• Name: Dame Susan Langley, DBE
• Job title: The Lady Mayor of the City of London
• Previous roles: Director at Lloyds of London, lead non executive director at Home Office, senior independent director UK at Asset Resolution, trustee at Macmillan Cancer, CEO of financial and professional services at the Department of Business and Trade and chair of Gallagher UK.
• Born: Whitechapel
• Lives: Hertfordshire
• Studied: Southampton University
• Talents: The resilience to try
• Motto: Forgiveness not permission
• Biggest perk of the job? Being offered the platform to try and make a difference and to travel as an international Ambassador.
• Coffee order: Black Americano
• Cocktail order: A classic margarita
• Favourite book: I could say something worthy and highbrow but I have to admit… Lord of the Rings

What was your first job?

I was a waitress in a pub, but I was so bad they moved me to the bar. I wasn’t very good at that either – I kept dropping the glasses. After A-Levels, I had a job counting traffic cones – the less said about my early jobs the better!

What was your first role in the City?

I joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant. It was a........

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