Mayor Lightfoot headed to Paris and London to promote Chicago businesses, economy

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will travel to Paris and London to tout the city’s economic recovery, her office announced Thursday.

“Chicago’s economy is thriving and our business sector has set records, keeping us competitive with top global financial cities,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “On behalf of our world-class city, I’m thrilled to lead a delegation of City officials and business leaders to London and Paris, where I look forward to discussing Chicago’s economic strengths, speaking at Fintech Week London 2022, and learning new ideas to further develop our business community and economy.”

The trip comes as Lightfoot gears up for her re-election campaign and amid a series of negative developments for Chicago’s business community, including Boeing taking its headquarters elsewhere and hedge fund Citadel moving to Miami. Lightfoot, however, has touted other businesses that have moved to Chicago and in a statement said several financial technology companies are thriving in the city.

While abroad, Lightfoot will meet with Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris. She will also meet with business leaders to “explore new opportunities” and “participate in a series of roundtable discussions and attend policy briefings with local City Hall leadership, including one in London, focused on building back a better city after COVID-19 and another in Paris on its 15-minute city initiative.”

The trip is planned for July 11 to 15.