The Finsbury Institute

The Finsbury Institute is the City of London’s dedicated policy hub

Based at City St George’s, the civic university of the City of London, we bring together policy and public affairs professionals from across the City to share insight, connect expertise and engage with the issues shaping the City’s future. Grounded in the University’s civic mission, the Finsbury Institute provides a shared space for open, cross-sector conversation, helping City leaders and practitioners think ahead, break down silos and act with confidence in a fast-changing world.

We are also committed to using our unique position – located in the City of London and with the Lord Mayor as our Rector – to contribute to the civic life and leadership of the Square Mile. This includes initiatives such as the Lord Mayor’s Fellowship, a flagship scheme that enables academic experts to work closely with successive Lord Mayors during their tenure to support and enhance their mayoral agenda. Previous Lord Mayor’s Fellows include Professor Katrin Hohl OBE in 2024 and Dr Cormac Bryce in 2025. Read more on the Lord Mayor’s Fellowship.

Working closely with the City’s institutions, the Finsbury Institute brings research and insight into the heart of the Square Mile, helping to build a more inclusive, resilient and forward‑looking City.

A policy hub for the City of London

Rooted in the City’s distinctive civic, economic and cultural ecosystem, we draw on expertise across policy, business, law, technology and the social sciences to apply insight directly to the challenges facing the City – from economic resilience and productivity, to AI, cybersecurity, sustainability, workforce transformation and global risk.

A community for policy and public affairs professionals

We serve the full breadth of the City’s businesses, institutions and communities, from global firms to SMEs and individuals who are often less visible in policy debates. By providing a home for voices that can be overlooked, the Institute ensures policy thinking reflects the real diversity of the City’s economy.

Trusted insight and practical capabilities

Shaped by close relationships across the City, including with civic leaders, we bring convening power and access that few organisations can offer. Through a two-way exchange between policy practice and academic expertise, we strengthen decision-making and help City leaders anticipate and respond to change.

People and civic life

Local in focus and global in outlook, the Finsbury Institute is committed to strengthening both the City’s competitiveness and its civic life. We believe economic success is inseparable from people and place, and that a thriving global financial centre should also be a place where diverse communities can build careers and develop a sense of belonging.

We are keen to work in partnership with organisations on events, working groups and shared initiatives, particularly where there is value in bringing different sectors or disciplines together in a neutral setting.

The Finsbury Institute has been established to be a collaborative platform, where existing organisations can test ideas, broaden conversations and reach new audiences through joint activity, rather than starting from scratch. You can engage with us in a variety of ways.

• Join our mailing list

• The Finsbury Institute has been invaluable in helping to bring serious academic insights into conversations that matter to the City. As an Alderman, it has been refreshing to know I can turn to the Finsbury Institute to identify the most relevant researchers to strengthen the quality of debate around the table and ensure our conversations are informed by evidence and long‑term perspective. That ability to curate the right expertise for the right moment is a real asset to the City of London landscape.

  Alderman Gregory Jones KC

Consultancy

We are keen to help locate academic experts within City St George’s to support you with bespoke projects on a short or longer-term basis.

Practitioner in Residence Programme

The Finsbury Institute is pleased to host practitioners from the City’s businesses, industries and public services on short-term residency programmes to enable them to further their research interests and bring their frontline experience and perspectives to students and staff in the City St George’s community. Practitioners in Residence will be supported on their projects by relevant academics in the School of Policy and Global Affairs.

Read more information about the Practitioners in Residences scheme. And learn about the experiences of our first Practitioner in Residence, Nicola Brady.

Events

• Jun 09

  SPGA Digital Education and Innovation Symposium

  The SPGA Digital Education & Innovation Symposium brings together leading academic voices and sector experts to explore the future of higher education in a digital-first world.

  Tuesday, 9^th June 2026, 09:15 – 18:00

  Location: Clerkenwell campus, B200 (University Building)

  Audience: Academics; Public; Staff; Students

The Finsbury Institute is the City of London’s dedicated policy hub – a place where evidence, expertise and real-world experience come together to help the City steer and shape its future.

The City of London is home to world-leading businesses, institutions and professional communities, yet there has been no single home of the policy and public affairs professionals working across its industries and civic life. The Finsbury Institute has been established to fill that gap.

At a time of profound economic, technological and social change, we bring together policy and public affairs professionals across the City, connecting insight, expertise and real-world experience to help break down often isolated conversations, think ahead and help shape and inform a globally competitive, socially vibrant City of London.

Our Director

The Finsbury Institute is led by Prof Diana Beech, who joined us as our inaugural Director in April 2025. Diana brings deep experience from national government, business and higher education and has held senior leadership and policy roles in higher education and within national government. Diana holds a PhD in German Studies from the University of Cambridge and is a Companion of the British Academy of Management.

Diana received Freedom of the City of London in 2024 and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Founders. Diana remains a frequent speaker, commentator and thought-leader in the field of higher education policy and also serves as the University’s Assistant Vice-President (Policy & Government Affairs). Read Diana’s full bio here: Professor Diana Beech.

Read more:

• Our Director’s early thoughts on the shape and purpose of the Finsbury Institute in this Times Higher Education article on why universities’ expert input is needed far beyond government departments, published January 2025.
• More on our Director in this special feature interview in Research Professional News, published May 2025.

Lord Mayor’s Fellows

The Finsbury Institute is the home of the Lord Mayor’s Fellow – a relevant expert chosen from our thriving academic community each year to support the work of the serving Lord Mayor. Previous Lord Mayor’s Fellows include Professor Katrin Hohl OBE in 2024 and Dr Cormac Bryce in 2025. The Lord Mayor’s Fellowship scheme will recommence in autumn 2026 to support the work of the 698th Lord Mayor of the City of London

Finsbury Fellows

We are proud to bring distinguished practitioners and policymakers from a wide range of sectors and industries into our community as Finsbury Fellows. Our Fellows are appointed in recognition of the individual contributions they make to advancing our mission to bring academic and industry perspectives closer together in the service of our City. News of our new Finsbury Fellows to come soon.

In this section, researchers can find details of the Finsbury Institute’s latest policy engagement training, designed to build confidence and capability in working with policymakers. Our programme includes sessions led by experienced practitioners, including former Members of Parliament and parliamentary officials, offering practical insight into how policy is shaped and how research can have influence.

We also curate guidance and resources from external organisations to support effective policy engagement, helping our researchers to navigate opportunities beyond the University and develop their own approaches to impact.

For more tailored support, researchers are encouraged to contact the Director of the Finsbury Institute with bespoke enquiries.

• Discover our resources

What people say

• The Finsbury Institute recently provided an opportunity for me to speak at a high-level policy discussion hosted by a leading City business. For junior colleagues, discussions like these open doors to new networks and collaborations, and for those of us further along in our careers, they help to reconnect our research with real-world needs and reinforce our professional integrity.

  Raj Rajarajan

  Professor of Security Engineering & Director Institute for Cyber Security

• I’m grateful to the Finsbury Institute for the opportunity to contribute to a City of London event. It generated rich and constructive discussions with councillors, practitioners and civic leaders, created valuable connections that will directly inform our ongoing research, and opened promising possibilities for future collaboration. I’d be pleased to support similar initiatives in future.

  Christian Reynolds

  Reader in Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy