James Michael Douglas Thomson CBE, Deputy
Ward: Walbrook
Other members representing this Ward:
More information about this member
Contact information
Correspondence address:
Members' Room
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
Email: james.thomson@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Committee appointments
- Board of Governors of the City Junior School
- Board of Governors of the City of London School
- Capital Buildings BoardPolicy and Resources Committee
- City Bridge Foundation Board
- City of London Police Authority Board
- Communications & Corporate Affairs Sub (Policy & Resources) CommitteeDeputy Chaiman, P&R
- Community & Children's Services Committee
- Court of Common Council
- Crime and Disorder Scrutiny CommitteePolicy and Resources Committee
- Digital Services Committee (Ex-Officio Member)City Bridge Foundation Board
- Economic Security and Cyber Crime Committee of the City of London Police Authority Board
- Equity, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee
- Finance & Estates Committee of the Board of Governors of the City of London School
- Finance Committee
- Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting and Analysis Service Procurement CommitteePolicy and Resources Committee
- Freedom Applications Sub (Policy & Resources) Committee
- Funding Committee of the City Bridge Foundation Board
- Housing Management and Almshouses Sub (Community and Children's Services) Committee
- Investment Committee
- Member Development and Standards Sub CommitteeDeputy Chair of Policy and Resources Committee
- Policy and Resources Committee (Deputy Chair)
- Resource Allocation Sub (Policy and Resources) CommitteeDeputy Chairman of the Policy & Resources Committee
- Resource and Estates Committee (Police)Police Authority Board
- Senior Remuneration Sub-CommitteeDeputy Chairman of P&R
Terms of Office
- 24/03/2022 - 19/03/2025
- 20/03/2025 - 21/03/2029
Additional Information
James was first elected as Common Councillor for Walbrook Ward in 2013 and is the Deputy for the Ward.
James is Deputy Chair of Policy and Resources and sits on a wide number of City of London’s service committees.
James is the former Deputy Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board and former Chair of its Economic Crime Committee which has oversight for the work of the City of London Police as National Lead Force for Fraud and its national responsibilities in economic and cyber crime. He has served on the Police Authority Board since 2015 and served as Chair from 2020 to 2024 and was Deputy Chairman from 2017 to 2020, and 2024 to 2025.
James is a board member of the City Bridge Foundation and governor of the City of London School (and past Chair).
Prior to becoming an elected Member, James was a Special Constable with the City of London Police for 12 years.
Outside the City, James is a former non-executive Chairman (and former Chief Executive) of MJ Gleeson plc the listed house builder focused on building low-cost affordable homes for first time buyers. He is a former board member of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, is a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office.
James has spent the last 20 years working in industry including for Smiths Group, the FTSE 100 listed international engineering company, as Group Finance Director of DTZ Holdings plc, the listed property company now part of Cushman & Wakefield. Prior to becoming CEO and the Chairman of Gleeson, he was Chief Executive of Keepmoat, the largest private developer of affordable homes in the UK delivering some 4,000 homes a year.
James trained as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent 10 years in investment banking at HSBC and Deutsche Bank. At HSBC he spent 3 years in South Africa advising the ANC-led Government of National Unity.
James was awarded a CBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for Policing and Inclusion.
James is a signatory to the City of London Corporation Members’ Diversity Charter: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/assets/About-us/members-diversity-charter.pdf.