Competitions, Awards & Prizes

Schools Awards

WCIB Lord George Bursary at Dulwich College

The WCIB Lord George Bursary at Dulwich College is awarded annually in memory of WCIB Past Master Lord George of St Tudy (Eddie George) who was Governor of the Bank of England from 1994 to 2004. The bursary is awarded to a sixth form pupil on the recommendation of the school.

The WCIB School Essay Competition

Every year we run an essay competition for state school students from Years 12 and 13, located in east London. This year, 164 students from 68 schools entered essays. We would like to say 'thank you' to  The Brokerage for helping to organise the competition, to the teachers who supported their students and to the WCIB members who judged the winning essays. Well done to all the students who took part!

The awards ceremony took place in December 2024 at ING's offices, all courtesy of ING.

This year, students were asked to write a 1,000 word essay to discuss the following:

“Compare the benefits and costsof social media for individuals and society. What actions can be taken toachieve an improved balance? Who should take action?”

Congratulations to Rida Ali from Shadwell Academy who won first prize with her outstanding essay.

The Sheriffs' Challenge

The Late Lord Mayor and former Master of the WCIB, Alderman Sir Peter Estlin, initiated the Sheriffs’ Challenge. Its rationale was to give students in London schools a chance to hone their public speaking skills by delivering a team-work presentation, competitively, on a topic relating to the City of London or the business/wider world.

Mansion House Scholarship Scheme (MHSS)

The Mansion House Scholarship Scheme helps fund foreign students and young financial services executives to come to the UK to study at a British university, or to train or gain experience in the City. This year two UK students are included in the scheme to strengthen links between the City of London and the UK's major cities.  Read more on the MHSS website click here.

Welcome to the new cohort of Mansion House Scholarship students

The following Mansion House Scholars are studying in the United Kingdom in 2024/25:

Suresh Anubham – India

Studying Finance and Machine Learning at Queen Mary University, London. JointMHSS/Chevening Scholar.

Suresh is 43 and comes from Bangalore and has worked in the private sector for GE and for the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Finance. As a mid-career Revenue Services officer, his aim is to make a significant contribution to the digital transformation of tax administration in India, in line with global trends, and drive innovation infinancial regulation.

Edith Apoo – Uganda

Studying Master’s in Actuarial Management at Bayes Business School.

Edith comes from Uganda and is 34. Her ambition is to become a Chartered Actuary and she has already completed a number of courses and exams held by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK.  Since 2021 she has been serving as General Secretary of the Actuarial Association of Uganda. On completion of her Master’s degree, Edith aims to play a big role in society by developing insurance and pension productsthat offer sufficient financial safety nets to guard against calamities thatcan be financial and natural in nature such as financial crises, earthquakes,floods, disease.

Noor AlBakri – Jordan

Studying for an MSc degree in Organisational and Occupational Psychology at the University of Surrey.

Noor is from Amman, Jordan and is 25 and has been working for the Royal Hashemite Court. She graduated from thePrincess Sumaya University for Technology in Jordan with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration where she won 1^st place in the graduation projects competition. Her MHSS award is funded by the Al-Sabah Foundation.

Cathal Mitchell - Ireland

Cathal is the MansionHouse Scholar from Ireland. He is sudying for an MSc in Finance and Accounting at Imperial College. He is 23 and has recently graduated with 1^st Class Honours from University College Dublin where he studied Finance and Commerce. His goal is to work on major deals in London as part of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) division of an investment bank. At university in Dublin, Cathal gave a lot of time to mentoring new students and set up a small syndicate investing in thoroughbred racehorses.

Stanislaw Stefaniak – Poland

Stanislaw is a lawyer and has been admitted to the Warsaw Bar of Attorneys. He is studying for an MSc in Law and Finance at Oxford. He has worked for a number of law firms in Warsaw and has been published in Polish legal journals. He was British parliamentary debating winner of World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) in the English as Foreign Language category.

Federico Di Tirro – Italy

Federico  comes from Genoa and is 22. His appointment as a Mansion House Scholar marks the close connection between LordMayor Michael Mainelli and Genoa. Federico will study for an MPhil in Economics at Oxford. He is a graduate of Bocconi University and has been working as an intern at the World Bank in Washington. He aims to attain a position of leadership that will enable him to drive the strategic  direction of development finance on a global scale and support emerging countries' path to prosperity.

University & Business Schools Awards

WCIB Prize at Business Schools

The Company places a high value on relationships with Universities and Business Schools involved in undergraduate and postgraduate finance and other subjects related to the City. The relationships offer a gateway into the WCIB and the City for faculty and students alike. For example, the WCIB has provided City mentors for students, speakers for classes/events/career sessions, event sponsorship and general support to relationship institutions.

In addition, there is the awarding of the  annual WCIB prize to a student for the best dissertation or extended piece of written work as assessed by faculty. Typically the work will be related to the City, international banking or an aspect of finance. The winner receives a certificate of merit and £300. The winner also qualifies to participate in the  annual WCIB Lombard Prize competition which is our nation-wide competition.

The WCIB Lombard Prize

The WCIB Lombard Prize was initiated by Alan Moore CBE in the early 1990's when he was Chairman of the Lombard Association, to reward an outstanding student of the City University (now the Bayes Business School) evening MBA Programme. In 2009, the Court of Assistants agreed that the Lombard Prize should be extended to include the winners of Company prizes at all of the universities which are affiliated with the Company.

The Prize consists of:

• A solid silver Armada dish, inscribed with the Company and winner’s names;
• A cheque for £1500.00;
• A certificate of merit;

The winner will be offered Honorary Membership of the Company for one year and will be invited to attend the prestigious WCIB Annual Banquet (typically at Guildhall or the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House) to receive the Prize. The event is attended by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, other senior figures within the City of London.