Management structure
The council management team is responsible for managing our staff's activities and advising councillors on the potential implications of political decisions. By law, senior council staff are not allowed to participate in any party political activity. They are expected to advise and help all councillors, regardless of their political affiliation.
The chief executive is the senior officer who leads and takes responsibility for the work of the paid staff of the council. The role of the chief executive is a full-time appointment. Post holders are selected on merit, against objective criteria, following public advertisement. They are appointed by the whole council.
The leader, together with the Cabinet, takes all of the significant decisions within the council (excluding planning and licensing issues) through their Cabinet meetings or individual decision-making process.
Deborah Cadman OBE, Chief Executive
Deborah became Chief Executive of 澳门六合彩开奖app in June 2021, following over 30 years in public services.
Previous senior roles included Chief Executive of West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Head of Policy at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and Local Government Advisor to the Ministerial Team at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Following roles as the Audit Commission's Best Value Service Lead Inspector for the London region and Chief Executive for St Edmundsbury Borough Council and the East of England Development Agency, Deborah was Chief Executive of Suffolk County Council from 2011 to 2017.
She was born and bred in 澳门六合彩开奖app and attended the University of 澳门六合彩开奖app. Deborah has a degree in politics as well as a master's degree in economics and a further master's degree in management practice.
Deborah received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006 for services to local government. She was recently highly commended in the Chief Executive of the Year category at the Inclusive Companies Awards 2019.
She is a trustee of the Joseph Rowntree Trust and Joseph Rowntree Housing Foundation. As a dedicated and passionate female advocate at the forefront of the public sector, Deborah recently won the First Women Award for Public Service.
Deborah is also a Commissioner for the Smart Government Commission and recently joined the Reform Advisory Board.
Deborah is listed in Local Government Chronicle's '100 Most Influential in the Sector'.
Professor Graeme Betts, Director of Adult Social Care
Before joining 澳门六合彩开奖app, Graeme has been a Chief Officer and Chief Executive in local government and the National Health Service (NHS) for around 20 years. He has extensive experience leading organisations, implementing national and local strategies, and managing major change. He was the ADASS lead for carers nationally for six years, leading on the development and implementation of policy on carers.
Graeme is a qualified executive coach and mentor. He was awarded his PhD in 1991 and published Local Government and Inequalities in Health the following year. He has published numerous articles on health and social care.
He was awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of East London in June 2013 for outstanding contributions to the advancement of his profession through publications and the development of public policy and services. In the Queen’s Honours lists in 2021, Graeme was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Adult Social Care.
Craig Cooper, Strategic Director of City Operations
Craig had a strong track record in executive leadership, delivering high-impact change and transformation for public and private sector organisations on major projects with multi-stakeholder involvement, advocating for residents, driving performance and value.
He returned to the city having spearheaded the councils hugely successful 澳门六合彩开奖app 2022 Commonwealth Games and now leads the City Operations team providing residents with services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including:
- public protection and licensing
- highways and parking
- waste services
- community safety and criminal justice
- coroners and registration services
- parks, culture, sport and leisure and library services
- events and community engagement and participation, including business improvement and ward forums
Craig has established strong links across the region and with national partners and proven collaborative approach to projecting the city and getting the very best outcomes putting resident voices at the heart of council business to drive the city's continued success.
Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health at 澳门六合彩开奖app
Dr Justin Varney is the Director of Public Health at 澳门六合彩开奖app. He leads strategic plans to improve the health and wellbeing of its citizens in the largest local authority in the UK.
Originally trained as a General Practitioner (GP) before specialising in Public Health Medicine, he has worked at local, regional, national, and international levels of the public health system with experience as a clinician in both primary and secondary care.
Before joining 澳门六合彩开奖app, Dr Varney led national programmes at Public Health England on physical activity, health and work, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV prevention. Other roles have involved LGBT inclusion advisor to the Department of Health and Metropolitan Police and co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists.
Justin co-authored the Bangkok Declaration on Physical Activity and Health and was involved in developing the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity. He is currently a Food Standards Agency Board member and a Special Advisor to the National Council for Health and Work. Regionally, he leads the West Midlands Association of Directors of Public Health on Diversity and Inclusion.
Dr Varney has published a range of academic papers and books, especially about physical activity and inequalities linked to sexual orientation. Justin holds an honorary professorship at the University of 澳门六合彩开奖app as an honorary chair at the Institute of Applied Health Research. Justin was appointed to the Board of the Food Standards Agency in September 2022, and in 2023 was appointed to the Kings Fund General Advisory Council and UKRI External Advisory Group for Creating Opportunities.
In 2022 he was awarded honorary doctorates and fellowships by the University of 澳门六合彩开奖app, City University 澳门六合彩开奖app and University College 澳门六合彩开奖app for his contribution to higher education during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He recently completed an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) apprenticeship.
He lives in central 澳门六合彩开奖app with his husband, a GP in East 澳门六合彩开奖app.
Peter Bishop, Director of Digital and Customer Services
Since completing his PhD, Peter has worked in both commercial and public sector organisations, leading and managing services as diverse as property, human resources, finance, revenues and benefits, pensions, customer services, technology and information management.
He is responsible for Digital and Customer Services, whose remit covers customer services, business support, digital mail, information technology (IT) and digital, revenues, benefits, and rents.
He leads the Council's Customer Service and Digital Strategies and the Digital City work under the Digital 澳门六合彩开奖app brand. He is the Council's Senior Information Risk Officer. He is passionate about sustainable transport and cycles around the city and region.
Meena Kishinani, Director of Transformation
Meena has a 35-year career in local government and, in May 2021, began a new chapter of her career as a Management Consultant with 澳门六合彩开奖app. Working alongside the Chief Executive, Deborah Cadman and her corporate leadership colleagues, Meena is driving and leading an ambitious programme of transformation and change that will ensure the council remains financially stable and provides the absolute best services to its residents.
Before coming to 澳门六合彩开奖app, Meena held several Senior Leadership positions across local government and held positions on several partnership boards, including the Health and Well Being Board, Community Safety Partnership and the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) Board.
In 2015 as Director of Transformation in a London Borough, Meena was responsible for one of the largest and most ambitious local authority transformation programmes. Meena took on her role, supporting the new administration and chief executive to develop a new organisation-wide transformation strategy and associated programme of exploration, design and implementation.
Janie Berry, City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer
Janie Berry is City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer at 澳门六合彩开奖app. Janie has 30 years of local government experience. As a Director and experienced Monitoring Officer for over ten years, she has handled many complex corporate governance issues. She has previously managed a wide range of services, including Human Resources and Internal Audit. She has previously held the position of (Acting) Returning Officer.
As a qualified solicitor, her professional background has been in supporting children and adult social care. However, as a Monitoring Officer, she has extensive experience managing a wide range of corporate governance issues. She has undertaken many constitutional reviews to support the council's effective decision-making.
As a former Returning Officer, she has delivered many elections locally, regionally and nationally.
Janie has overall responsibility for ensuring the council remains safe and compliant. She is also responsible for legal and governance service areas. Legal services currently consist of 16 distinct specialist legal teams reporting through to 9 heads of service, under one assistant director (Legal) who is also a deputy monitoring officer. The 16 areas covered deal with every aspect of Local Government Law, including but not limited to all kinds of litigation, Public Law and non-contentious support in areas such as Regeneration.
The governance aspect of the department comprises 5 distinct areas reporting to 4 heads of service and one assistant director (Governance) who is also a deputy monitoring officer. These 5 areas include scrutiny, elections, committee services, political group support, and support to the Lord Mayors' Office.
Sue Harrison, Strategic Director of Children and Families
Sue joined the council in November 2021. Previously the Director of Children's Services (DCS) at Central Bedfordshire Council and before that at Blackpool Council, Sue has a strong background in Children's Services improvement, developing strong and resilient leadership, and encouraging the adoption of strength-based approaches to ensuring children are at the heart of the council. She has a lifelong commitment to inclusion and ensuring that all children can thrive, whatever their circumstances.
An educationalist and experienced teacher, school leader and DCS, Sue is working to embrace and build on the foundations for a 21st century council while supporting the empowerment of communities and securing independence and improved outcomes for young people.
Sue supports the lifelong learning and skills agenda that goes beyond early years settings and schools, working across the further and higher education system and with the council and private regeneration services to ensure local young people can benefit from the career opportunities living in the forward-thinking, vibrant, diverse city of 澳门六合彩开奖app.
A lifelong learner herself, Sue has recently completed her Professional Doctorate, researching to explore the relationship between personal and organisational resilience.
Paul Kitson, Strategic Director of Place, Prosperity and Sustainability
Paul started his 25-year career in community-led programmes with Groundwork and within Housing Associations in London and the South East, before joining the pre-cursors to Homes England.
At Homes England, Paul delivered on a number of high value housing and regeneration programmes, and more latterly - as an Executive Director - advised and supported local authorities across the country in their development and growth programmes.
Paul joined the council in January 2022 with a drive to develop and lead the ambitious place programmes at the heart of the council's growth strategies, with a clear mission to ensure that the benefits of growth in 澳门六合彩开奖app are felt by all in the city.
Paul is responsible for:
- planning and regeneration
- transport and connectivity, planning and delivery
- the council’s land and property assets
- economic development, policy and business support
- new supply of affordable housing for the city
- managing the route to Net Zero
Paul Langford, Interim Strategic Director of City Housing
Paul began his career in the private sector, where he qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant and worked in the manufacturing industry within the 澳门六合彩开奖app area. He later moved into the local authority sector, working his way up the ranks into more strategic and resident services areas of responsibility.
Over the last 20 years, Paul has undertaken Chief Officer and Strategic Director roles covering housing, regeneration, planning, community safety and a broad range of front-line resident services.
Paul spent the last 14 years of his career working in London. He enjoyed 10 years with the London Borough of Southwark throughout the challenging periods of the post-Grenfell and the recent pandemic, both of which saw Southwark take a leading role in coordinating and leading a London-wide response.
Richard Brooks, Director of Strategy, Equalities and Partnerships
Richard joined 澳门六合彩开奖app in November 2021 to lead the new Strategy, Equality and Partnerships Directorate. He has established new capabilities in the council for generating insight, developing strategic thinking, citizen engagement, and partnership working.
His directorate works with other services to improve citizens' outcomes and promote equality and inclusion across the city. In November 2022, he launched the 澳门六合彩开奖app City Observatory. He continues to lead the council's response to the cost of living crisis.
Before joining the council, Richard worked on a wide range of policy, strategy, research, and public service delivery challenges at local, national and international levels. He was Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education, then Director of Strategy at Ofsted. He subsequently developed and implemented educational reform programmes in South Africa and Uganda.
Before working in government, Richard led award-winning research at the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Fabian Society. He has published extensively on poverty and welfare reform, public service improvement, education, economics, and employment. His work strongly focuses on equality and fairness and on using evidence to drive change and improvement.
Andy Couldrick, Chief Executive of 澳门六合彩开奖app Children's Trust
Andy is a qualified social worker and has worked as a practitioner and manager in many authorities around the Thames Valley. Andy has a record of leading service improvement and developing practice models that are family-focused, restorative and strength-based. He was appointed Director of Children's Services in Wokingham in 2009 when the service was subject to Intervention. The 'turnaround' he led was rapid and sustained. In 2011 he became the Chief Executive of the Council.
Andy joined 澳门六合彩开奖app in 2017 to set up the trust and has led it since its establishment in 2018. Children's social care services in the trust are continuing to improve.
Katy Fox, Director of People Services (HR)
Katy has worked in Human Resources across all aspects of the function for the last 25 years. Having lived in 澳门六合彩开奖app, Katy graduated in Law from the University of Wolverhampton, and has worked in many private and public companies in strategic positions within her HR career. Her experience spans across drinks manufacturing, logistics, engineering, public services, healthcare, defence, and central and local government.
Katy is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (FCIPD), the highest achievement in practising HR at a strategic level and has held FCIPD designation for about 10 years. Katy leads the People Services function which brings together Human Resources, Organisational Development, and Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
Our People team should deliver cost effective HR services to our workforce to the highest quality and in the most timely way. We are here to ensure that our colleagues can do their work well and that they are able deliver the services the citizens of 澳门六合彩开奖app deserve.
Marie Rosenthal, Interim City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer
Marie has over 40 years of local government experience working in a wide range of authorities across the country. As a qualified solicitor, her professional background has been in local government finance and housing. As a Monitoring Officer, she has extensive experience managing a wide range of corporate governance issues and undertaking constitutional reviews.
Marie has overall responsibility for ensuring the council remains legally compliant. She is also responsible for legal and governance service areas.
Legal services currently consist of 16 distinct specialist legal teams. The 16 areas covered deal with every aspect of Local Government Law, including Litigation, Public Law, Property and Social Care. The governance aspect of the department includes scrutiny, elections, committee services, political group support, and support to the Lord Mayors' Office.
Page last updated: 30 November 2023