Southampton City Council appoints new chief exec

Southampton City Council has appointed Alistair Neill as its new chief executive.

Alistair Neill, who has led Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council as chief executive since 2003, will take over from current chief executive, Brad Roynon, in November.

Having previously held senior leadership roles in a number of blue chip private sector companies, including Unilever and BP, Neill has also worked at the heart of government in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and the Cabinet Office.

Cllr Alec Samuels, outgoing leader of the Council and chair of the panel, said:

“I am delighted that the Council has agreed to appoint Alistair Neill as the next Chief Executive. He impressed with his fantastic range of leadership experience in local government, Whitehall and in the private sector.

“His track record of delivering top level performance, of working successfully with partners and of leading an organisation is exceptional. Those skills will be needed in the coming years with the terrible state of the public finances posing huge challenges for the Council and for the city. I am absolutely confident that we have identified the right person to help lead Southampton through that challenge.”