County council appoints acting chief executive

Amanda Askham will be the acting Chief Executive for the seven-week period between Gillian Beasley’s retirement and when her successor, Stephen Moir joins the council on 22nd February.

Ms Askham, who has worked for the council for the past 15 years, is currently Director of Business Improvement and Development across both Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils, and was previously Head of Transformation for Cambridgeshire, in both roles working closely with the current Chief Executive and senior Members of all political parties.

Ms Askham said: “I am delighted to be covering this role at a crucial time for the Council. There is important work to be done during the next two months and I will continue to work closely with colleagues and partners to ensure a smooth transition to the new Chief Executive.”

Before working in Local Government, Ms Askham worked in Harvard Business School’s consultancy business in Boston and Cambridge helping to drive innovation for a number of international pharmaceutical, hi-tech and life science companies. Since joining local government in 2004, she has built on this experience to reshape public services, focusing on the needs and outcomes for individuals and communities.

She is a founding Member for Anglia Learning Trust and is also the senior regional sponsor for Cambridgeshire’s Region of Learning.