Susan has over 25 years experience in local government, she has been Chief Executive of Wokingham Borough Council for 7 years, delivering on the vision and ambitions. She was previously Chief Executive of Lancaster City Council and worked for much of her earlier career at the London Borough of Ealing. Susan is passionate about public services and delivering the very best outcomes for communities, she is a proponent of a council’s place shaping role and she focuses on collaborative working with partners, key stakeholders and councillors in ensuring a great place for everyone to thrive. Also on getting fundamentals right and innovation in delivery. Her approach has seen Wokingham council judged as 2nd most productive council in England in 2026 ( Impower index ) also led improvement in adult services to now being judged by CQC as in the top 10 in the country. The Council has recently been recognised as a Microsoft Copilot Frontier Council, reflecting the progress it has made in adopting AI. During her tenure, the council has won a myriad of nationally recognised awards and has a changed its relationship with the community and voluntary sectors. She has a genuine focus on true co-production such as through ‘Social Care Future’, and the council is a Marmot Borough focussing on tackling health inequalities. Susan serves as SOLACE deputy spokesperson for Children & Families, contributing to the national SEND debate. In June 26, Susan was awarded an MBE. She has also been a volunteer and trustee for several organisations, and has been recently appointed on the LGIU Board.