By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Sajeeda Rose has been selected as Nottingham City Council’s new chief executive.
Ms Rose had been the authority’s corporate director for growth and city development, where she was responsible for planning, transport, property, major developments and energy and carbon reduction.
Included in her major developments brief was the redevelopment of the former Broadmarsh Centre.
The Green Heart park area is now due to open in the summer, while the £10m Broadmarsh Car Park and Bus Station, and new Central Library, have already opened.
Ms Rose had been involved in numerous pivotal projects in the East Midlands prior to joining the council, including leading the successful bid for the East Midlands Freeport while sitting as the chief executive of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.
A spokesman for the council said: “Following an extensive recruitment and selection process, Sajeeda Rose has been appointed as Nottingham City Council’s new chief executive subject to formal approval at a meeting of Full Council on Monday 5 August.”
Mel Barrett had been the previous chief executive before he announced his departure in May.
He had been on a salary of just over £190,000 per year, following a pay rise in January.
Mr Barrett will now become the new chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), which was founded in the 1950s to provide homes for the Windrush generation, of which his parents had been a part of.
The Labour-run city council said Mr Barrett has helped it face significant challenges, including the pandemic, “dealing with legacy issues which reduced the council’s financial resilience” and, more recently, the appointment of commissioners.
Commissioners were appointed by the Government to help run the council months after it declared itself effectively bankrupt in November last year.
“The job is not yet done,” Mr Barrett said upon announcing his departure.
“And we know that the pace of improvement will increase, however progress made in a number of key areas including supporting vulnerable children, becoming a more open and transparent organisation and continuing to work with others to support the vibrancy and dynamism of our city and improve the life chances of our citizens despite the continuing financial challenges faced by local government.”