Merton Council to appoint Hannah Doody as Chief Executive 

Hannah Doody has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the London Borough of Merton, subject to formal ratification by the Full Council in July. 

Hannah has been Director of Community and Housing at the authority for the past four years and has played a key role in the council’s Covid-19 response, as well as being the Director lead on London’s response to testing for care home residents, and on providing vital PPE to staff. She will take up the role immediately after the appointment is confirmed at the Full Council meeting on July 7.  

Hannah will replace outgoing Chief Executive Ged Curran, who will be retiring from Merton after 17 years at its most senior officer. 

Mark Allison, Leader of the Council, said: “We are delighted to appoint Hannah following unanimous cross-party agreement. Under her direction, our adult social care and community services have gone from strength to strength, and she has continued to cement her leadership reputation during the pandemic, both with our partners in Merton and as the London lead on resilience on behalf of the association of Adult Social Care Directors (ADASS). 

“Hannah impressed the interview panel with her commitment to our borough, our staff and our partners – evidenced by her role in co-ordinating the successful partnership-led response to Covid-19 with the CCG, London Ambulance Service, Metropolitan Police, Home Office and the Department for Education. 

“I would also like to again pay tribute to Ged Curran, who has served the borough for 17 years and successfully guided us through a series of improvements including schools and local leisure and regeneration, while maintaining and protecting our key services in the face of significant budget pressures.”  

Hannah added: “I am immensely proud and privileged to have been offered the opportunity to help shape the future of services in a borough I’m both committed to and passionate about, and with staff I have built so much respect for across the council.  

“Merton has built a fantastic base to move forward from, and has set standards in London for improving education, support for vulnerable residents and protecting vital community services in the face of budget deficits.  

“I look forward to working with councillors, staff and our partners and local residents to develop the next phase of our improvement journey across the borough.”  

Prior to her role at Merton, Hannah held a series of senior leadership roles at both the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames. 

ENDS

Notes to editors

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team:

Email: communications@merton.gov.uk

Call: 020 8545 3752 or 020 8545 3752.

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