London & Partners’ CEO Laura Citron Awarded OBE for Services to the Economy in King’s Birthday Honours

Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, has been awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to the London Economy in the prestigious King’s Birthday Honours list. 

Laura joined London & Partners as CEO in 2017. She leads the teams behind flagship brands including Visit London, Let’s Do London, Grow London, Grow London Local, London Tech Week, MedCity London, .LONDON, and Opportunity London. Since Laura joined as CEO, London & Partners has created over 42,000 jobs and added £1.9bn to the London economy.

Laura brought the tourism industry together during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver the #LetsDoLondon global marketing campaign that brought more than 1.1m extra visitors to London and to create London's Tourism Vision 2030. She launched Grow London Local, the 'single front door' supporting thousands of London's small and micro-entrepreneurs. Laura is also co-chair of Opportunity London, the public-private partnership to win investment for London's built environment.

Under her leadership, London & Partners has landed 977 international companies to set up in London and supported 1,186 scale-ups to grow. Laura has championed inclusivity throughout her tenure at London & Partners, supporting business leaders from under-represented backgrounds and communities.  

Laura said: “I am delighted to be recognised in His Majesty’s Birthday Honours for services to the London economy. It is a privilege and a joy to promote the best city in the world. Thank you to the exceptional team at London & Partners and to our many stakeholders and partners who support us to grow London’s economy for the benefit of Londoners.”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As one of our capital’s most passionate advocates, Laura has helped thousands of businesses to start, flourish, and thrive here. She has worked tirelessly to enhance London's international business competitiveness, bringing thousands of jobs to the city, and consistently promotes values of inclusivity, diversity, and equality through her work at London & Partners. Laura has helped ensure London remains the best place to do business and a city that welcomes everyone – and I’m delighted to see her recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.”

Howard Dawber, Chair of London & Partners and Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, said: "Laura has led London’s external promotional activity and business support through the aftermath of Brexit and the pandemic with exceptional drive and purpose. Not only is she an extraordinarily gifted corporate leader and communicator, she is a talented strategic thinker. It is no exaggeration to say that she has been responsible for bringing billions of pounds of inward investment to London and the UK, as well as securing thousands of jobs. Her honour is richly deserved.”

Before joining London & Partners, Laura led the global Government & Public Sector Practice at WPP, the FTSE 100 global leader in marketing and communications. She advised governments around the world and trained future global leaders at the Blavatnik School of Government (Oxford) and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore). Laura is a long-standing governor at Edith Neville Primary School and Children's Centre, London Borough of Camden.