Chief executive appointment confirmed by council meeting

Birmingham City Council has ratified the appointment of Dawn Baxendale as chief executive.

Baxendale, currently chief executive at Southampton City Council, had been named last week but needed to be approved by a full council meeting.

She was appointed by a cross-party panel of elected members following an extensive selection process which involved meeting representatives of the partners of the city council, such as the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Birmingham City Council leader Cllr Ian Ward said: “We had some very strong candidates apply and it was heartening to see so many excellent people interested in the job, but Dawn was the one who we all felt had the qualities the city council needs.”

Baxendale will replace Stella Manzie, who was brought in last April as interim chief executive following the departure of Mark Rogers.

Baxendale has worked at Southampton Council since 2009, first as director of environment and economy and then as chief executive since March 2013.

Born in Huddersfield, her career in local government spans 20 years and has also included roles in Portsmouth, Wigan, Kirklees and Doncaster.