HIS Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE, is His Majesty’s representative in Greater London and is charged with upholding the dignity of the Crown. Across the thirty two Boroughs (but not the City of London) he is responsible for the promotion of civic, commercial, voluntary and social activities within London and thus is part of the fabric of London in all its manifestations. By statute, Lord-Lieutenants retire at the age of 75. Below are the Lord-Lieutenant’s crest and flag (Union Flag charged with a sword fesswise, or, and ensigned with the Imperial Crown proper).
The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE
Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE was appointed as HM Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2015. He will voluntarily serve, as His Majesty’s personal representative in the capital’s 32 Boroughs, excluding the City of London, until his 75th birthday in October 2026. As Lord-Lieutenant, he is also the Keeper of the Rolls and Chair of the Magistrates’ London Recruitment Advisory Committee; President of the Greater London Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association; and President of YOU London.
Sir Kenneth is a businessman and philanthropist, the founder of two technology merchant banks and the first British-born black man to serve as a Director of a FTSE-100 company (Reuters). An advocate of social inclusion, he is President of Thames Reach, a charity working to shelter and resettle the homeless; founding Chair of the Aleto Foundation, supporting future leaders from tough reality backgrounds; former Chair of Shaw Trust , a charity supporting the disabled and chronically unemployed to find work; a former Governor of the Peabody Trust; and a former Non-Executive Director of the West Lambeth NHS Trust. In 2019 he became President of London Youth, a member network of 450+ community youth organisations working across London, supporting tens of thousands of young Londoners each year.
Sir Kenneth lives in Hampton Wick with his wife, Julia. They have two grown-up daughters and six grandchildren. He was awarded a knighthood in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.
The announcement of Ken’s appointment as Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London can be found on HM Government’s website at: www.gov.uk/government/news/lord-lieutenant-for-greater-london-mr-kenneth-olisa.