Mark Rogers, Birmingham City Council

Mark Rogers was appointed as chief executive of Birmingham City Council in 2013. He moved to the post from neighbouring Solihull where he had been chief executive since 2007. Before that he was Solihull’s director of children’s services and is regarded as a national authority on child protection. He is also president of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE).

Andy Street CBE, Greater Birmingham LEP

Andy Street
Andy Street

Andy Street is chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, as well as being managing director of John Lewis where he has spent his career after graduating in politics at Oxford. He is also vice-chairman of Performance Birmingham responsible for running the city’s Symphony and Town Halls and is a member of the Prime Minister’s business advisory group. He was awarded a CBE last year for services to the economy.

Waheed Nazir, Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council director Waheed Nazir
Birmingham City Council director Waheed Nazir

Waheed Nazir is Birmingham’s director of planning and regeneration. He is also acting strategic director for economy. He has been responsible for the Big City Plan in recent years and has been one of the driving forces behind schemes such as the Curzon HS2 plans, the Snow Hill Masterplan, the Metro extension and the Birmingham Smithfield development. He has worked at the city council for more than 15 years.

Liz Peace CBE, Curzon Urban Regeneration Company

Liz Peace who is the new chair of The Curzon Urban Regeneration Company
Liz Peace who is the new chair of The Curzon Urban Regeneration Company

Liz Peace, one of the best known faces in property in the country, is chair of the Curzon Urban Regeneration Company. The former British Property Federation chief executive will oversee the regeneration around Birmingham’s planned HS2 station. The plan involves more than six milion sq ft of new employment floorspace and 2,000 homes.
Neil Rami, Marketing Birmingham

Neil Rami, chief executive of Marketing Birmingham
Neil Rami, chief executive of Marketing Birmingham

Neil Rami is chief executive of Marketing Birmingham which operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programmes and the inward investment programme Business Birmingham.

He has responsibility for attracting investment in to Birmingham and growing its tourism and visitor markets. He is a board member of Birmingham Science City and a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Katie Trout, LEP

Katie Trout new Director of Greater Birmingham LEP
Katie Trout new Director of Greater Birmingham LEP

Katie Trout has recently been promoted to director of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, after playing an integral role at the organisation since 2011. She is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the LEP. She was previously executive assistant to the chief executive of Birmingham City Council.

Paul Dransfield, Birmingham City Council

Paul Dransfield was appointed deputy chief executive of Birmingham City Council from his previous role as the council’s strategic director for corporate resources. He joined Birmingham from Derby City Council in 2007. He represents the local authority on the Birmingham Science City board. He won a Birmingham Post Lifetime Achievement for his work on the Grand Central project.

Dave Thompson, West Midlands Police

New Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Dave Thompson.
New Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Dave Thompson.

Queen’s Police Medal holder Dave Thompson took up his role as chief constable of West Midlands Police in January. Before that he was deputy chief constable, overseeing the force’s change programme.

He leads the police National Gangs portfolio and the Criminal Use of Firearms portfolio, leading the UK’s response to gun crime. He has said his strategic priority will be to take a more preventative approach, rather than reactive policing.

Martin Reeves, Coventry City Council

Chief Executive of Coventry City Council Martin Reeves
Chief Executive of Coventry City Council Martin Reeves

Coventry City Council chief executive Martin Reeves has recently been handed the top role at the West Midlands-wide combined authority.

He is a governor on the board of Coventry University and the first honorary president of LARIA (Local Authorities Research and Intelligence Association.

He leads the digital leadership network of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.

In 2014 he was ranked number 32 in the Local Government Chronicle’s list of the 100 most influential people in local government.

Coventry City Council voted unanimously to join the West Midlands Combined Authority and now Mr Reeves will serve as chief.

Laura Shoaf, West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority

Laura Shoaf is strategic director for transport, appointed by the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority which is made up of the leaders of seven metropolitan councils and three LEPs.

She was previously director of transport for the Black Country and head of strategic planning at the Black Country Consortium. She has a Masters in urban planning from New York University.