July 2025
Dear Masters, Prime Wardens, Upper Bailiff and Clerks,
The 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
