Julia Smith has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Blaby District Council in Leicestershire.
Ms Smith, who will start her role in the autumn, will succeed Jane Toman, who will retire next month after spending 15 years at the authority, including five years as Chief Executive.
Currently Director of Communities and Wellbeing at Harborough District Council, Ms Smith has worked in local government positions for over 16 years.
Before joining Harborough Council, her roles included Head of Customer and Community Services, as well as Environmental Health Manager at East Northamptonshire Council.
Commenting, Leader of Blaby District Council, Councillor Terry Richardson said:
“Julia was an extremely strong candidate, her passion, skills and commitment to local government made her the perfect choice for the role.
“With her background, she brings a wealth of experience and a clear ambition to ensure our customers are at the heart of everything we do.
“The role of Chief Executive is crucial in developing both the council and the district in the coming years.
“As well as working with councillors and officers, the role will require working with our communities and other organisations to shape the place that we live in.
“The selection process involved politicians and partner organisations to help us find the right candidate for Blaby District as a whole. It was extremely rigorous with a number of strong contenders in the running, who all performed to an extremely high standard.
“Julia joins us at an important time as we look ahead to recovering from the pandemic and delivering on future commitments, including delivering on our green agenda and improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
“The council is already in a really good position and Jane has been a big influence in that during her time leading the council.
“She leaves behind her a council which is performing well, with clear ambitions and plans for the future. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Jane as I am extremely grateful for all she has done.”
Ms Smith added:
“I am delighted to be joining Blaby District Council as the council’s new Chief Executive. The district is a fantastic area and I am looking forward to building on its very successful reputation of delivering quality services.
“Our residents and businesses are so important and I’m looking forward to getting to know local communities as well as councillors and, of course, the staff delivering the services for local people.
"I know the council is ambitious about its future and I’m looking forward to helping Blaby District evolve, whilst remaining a great place to live, work and visit.”
