Dame Catherine Fiona Woolf, (née Swain; born 11 May 1948) is a British corporate lawyer. She served as the Lord Mayor of London (2013–14), acting as global ambassador for UK-based financial and business services. She has held and still holds many other significant positions in the City of London. Early life Catherine Fiona Swain was born in Edinburgh, the daughter of Dr R. H. A. Swain and his wife, Margaret Helen Hart. She was educated there at St Denis School (subsequently part of St Margaret's School), before going up to Keele University where she graduated in Law and Psychology (BA). She studied comparative law at the University of Strasbourg. Career Woolf qualified as a solicitor in 1973 and worked as an assistant at Clifford Chance until 1978. She then moved to CMS Cameron McKenna where she became the firm's first female partner in 1981; she remained a partner until 2004. A specialist legal advisor on major infrastructure developments, particularly with regard to infrastructure legislation and energy markets, Woolf played a role in the 1985 treaty agreements between the British and French governments concerning the Channel Tunnel. She subsequently went on to work with almost 30 governments around the world. She was a consultant to CMS Cameron McKenna and is a Senior Adviser to London Economics International LLC. In 2001–02 Woolf was awarded a Senior Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Business and Government. While at Harvard, she wrote a book on attracting investment in electricity transmission systems: Global Transmission Expansion: Recipes for Success (2003). Woolf is an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple, a life position which recognises contributions to the legal profession. Livery companies Woolf is associated with several livery companies. She is a Court Assistant and past Master of the Solicitors', the Master of the Plumbers' and Court Assistant of the Wax Chandlers' companies, and an Honorary Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants. She is also a liveryman of the Arbitrators' company. She is an Honorary Liveryman of The Turners, the Fuellers, Lightmongers, Security Professionals, Tax Advisers and Paviors companies. Presidency of the Law Society Woolf served as president of the Law Society of England and Wales for 2006–07. In her valedictory speech on stepping down, she said that in her year as President she had met with "98 of the top 100 firms and another 25 or so beyond that". She was "delighted