Laura McGillivray has been chief executive of Norwich City Council since 2006. In her time at the city she has guided Norwich from being an underperforming council to iESE Council of the Year and LGC Most Improved Council.

Laura has more than 30 years local government experience and started her working life as a social worker in inner Liverpool. She then moved to London where she worked in both the voluntary and private sectors. Her specialisms were community based economic development, social enterprise and investment.

Laura returned to local government in 1991 spending 10 years at Milton Keynes Council leading its new community development team following the wind up of the MK Development Corporation, then leading the transfer of services to the new Milton Keynes Unitary Council when she became Head of Policy and Communications.  After a move to Dacorum District Council as Director of community services, Laura transferred to the City of York Council to be its Deputy chief executive.

She was an LGA peer challenge team leader in Burnley, Cameroon, Canterbury, Chelmsford and South Gloucestershire and was a member of the INLOGOV advisory board.

Laura currently chairs the Norfolk Community Safety Partnership, sits on the Council of the University of East Anglia and the Board of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.  For 3 years Laura was a member of the governing body of Norwich University of the Arts.