Council appoints Assistant Chief Executive

The Highland Council has appointed an Assistant Chief Executive to join its Senior Management Team.

She is Michelle Morris, Assistant Chief Executive (Performance) with the City and County of Swansea Council.  Ms Morris will take up her new post early in the new year.

Based in the Chief Executive’s Service and reporting to the Chief Executive, Ms Morris will be responsible for taking forward the efficiency and change agenda within the Council. She will also be the Council’s monitoring officer. Reporting to her will be the Head of Policy and Performance, Head of E-Government, Head of Personnel, Head of Legal Services and Head of Committee Services.

Ms Morris has worked in local government for more than 10 years, holding senior positions in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire before joining the City and County of Swansea in 2004. She has formerly headed up communications and customer services and currently manages a number of corporate services, including human resources, policy and performance, ICT and customer services and marketing and communications. As well as leading on a number of strategic projects, including the development of a new civic centre in Swansea and the opening of a new customer contact centre, as well as a significant change programme.

She said: “I am really excited about the new post and working in the Highlands.  The Council has an ambitious programme to deliver and I am looking forward to working with the senior management team, staff and elected members, to deliver on those ambitions.”

Meanwhile, the Council has agreed that Alan Geddes, Director of Finance, will also take up an expanded role as Depute to the Chief Executive, Alistair Dodds, and is effectively the council’s second most senior official.