A cross-party committee of councillors has recommended that Shokat Lal be appointed as the council’s permanent Chief Executive, subject to the approval of Full Council on Tuesday 8 November.
Shokat Lal, currently Executive Director of Core Services at Barnsley Council, was the unanimous choice of the Chief Officer Terms and Conditions Committee.
In his current role, Shokat is responsible for corporate services including finance and legal and governance services. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Chief Executive at Rotherham Council where he was part of the senior leadership team responsible for bringing the council out of intervention.
Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Chief Officer Terms and Conditions Committee said:
“I’m delighted the committee unanimously recommended Shokat as our new permanent Chief Executive. His experience and evident passion and commitment to transforming services for residents made him the outstanding choice to lead the council through the significant challenges ahead.”
Following an extensive executive search, three candidates were shortlisted and then underwent a rigorous assessment process before being interviewed by the committee.
Full Council will meet on Tuesday 8 November to consider the recommendation.