Indian-born Ruby McGregor-Smith Joins Race For London Mayor

A UK businesswoman of Indian origin, Ruby McGregor-Smith ranks among the top 10 people shortlisted by the ruling Conservative Party as probable candidates to run for the position of London Mayor. In reference to her bid for 2020 elections McGregor on Wednesday said, “It’s time for a Mayor who will re-ignite the possibility, opportunity and the confidence of the greatest city on earth. That’s why I’m running to be London’s Mayor.”

Also: Two Indian-Origin Women In US Richest Self-Made Women List

McGregor-Smith, 55, is the first Asian woman to run an FTSE-250 company. Referring to her bid, she said, “It’s time for a Mayor whose sole focus is to deal with the challenges our city faces.”

" It’s time for a Mayor whose sole focus is to deal with the challenges our city faces.”

Who is Ruby McGregor-Smith?

• Born in 1963 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Ruby moved to the UK at the age of two. Her father was training as an accountant in London.
• Ruby completed her graduation in economics from Kingston University.
• Following university, she went to join Ruby joined Mitie Group PLC as a group financial director in the year 2002. She was promoted to the post of CEO in 2007. She served the post of CEO from the year 2007 to 2016.
• In 2009, she was named one of the FT’s top 50 women in business. McGregor was even awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellence Order of the British Empire) in 2012 for services to business and promoting diversity.
• She was nominated as a Conservative life peer in August 2015. Subsequently, she took her position in the House of Lords in October 2015.

She said: “I arrived in London when I was two with my mum; we joined my dad who’d come to London the year before, in pursuit of a better life for his family."

“Our wonderful capital and our great country have given me everything and now I want to repay that debt.”

Ruby McGregor-Smith stated that tackling housing and knife crime would be among her priorities if she won. She said, “Today, with rising knife crime, young people and families unable to afford homes of their own, our urban environment still affecting people’s health and well-being, opportunity stalling, and nothing substantive being done to tackle these issues, it is time for new leadership for London.”

All 10 people on the list came “from a wide range of backgrounds, including business, politics and the charity sector”. Boris Johnson was the last Mayor of London from the Conservative party. The current Mayor of London is Sadiq Khan.

British-Sikh politician Kulveer Ranger is the other person of Indian origin on the Conservative party's shortlist.

Also Read: Prestigious Teaching Honour For Indian American Prof

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Deepali is an intern with SheThePeople.TV

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