The Audit and Corporate Governance (Appointment Panel) Sub-Committee met on 15 July 2025 to discuss the appointment of a new Executive Director for Investment, Place and Opportunity. The sub-committee was scheduled to note the appointment process, review the job details, and interview a candidate. Following the interview, they were to decide whether to recommend the candidate for the position, pending cabinet approval.

Executive Director for Investment, Place and Opportunity Appointment

The sub-committee was scheduled to discuss the appointment of an Executive Director for Investment, Place and Opportunity. According to the report pack, the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee delegated the responsibility of interviewing and offering permanent appointments to all posts at Chief Officer level to the Audit and Corporate Governance (Appointment Panel) Sub-Committee.

The directorate focuses on creating an inclusive, diverse, vibrant, and clean environment for everyone in the borough. The council was seeking an executive director to provide leadership in delivering place-based services and to lead strategy and delivery for a wide range of initiatives, including:

• Community safety, resilience, and cohesion
• Inclusive growth, employment and Camden's Community Wealth Fund
• Planning, placemaking and regeneration
• Arts and culture
• Recreation, parks and libraries
• Estate regeneration, commercial property and housing development
• Climate action, highways, sustainable transport and waste

The documentation in the report pack stated that the role was advertised internally and attracted one applicant. It was recommended to proceed directly to interview the sole candidate, combining the shortlisting and interview panels into a single process, because of the exceptional strength of the candidate, who has demonstrated high performance and significant impact in their current role as Director, including while deputising for the current Executive Director of Supporting Communities. The report pack stated that this approach would also avoid the cost of an external recruitment campaign, estimated at approximately £20,000.

The report pack included a recommendation that the sub-committee interview the candidate and, if appropriate, recommend an offer of appointment, subject to there being no well-founded objections from any member of the Cabinet.

Confidential Items

The agenda included a section regarding access to information, noting that item 8, concerning the Executive Director Investment, Place and Opportunity Final Member Panel Report, was considered exempt from disclosure under the Local Government Act 1972¹.

THAT the press and public be excluded from the proceedings of the Audit and Corporate Governance Appointments Sub-Committee on 15th July 2025 during consideration of Item 8 on Part II of the agenda, on the basis that, were members of the public to be present, there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended

The reason given was that the discussion could reveal information relating to an individual.