Sue Bruce, Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council, has been named as one of the UK’s top public leaders in The Guardian Public Service Awards competition. Although Ms Bruce did not win the category of Public Service Award for Leadership Excellence outright, she was one of four eminent runners-up. The others were Keir Starmer the outgoing DPP, Lynne Owens Chief Constable of Surrey police and Mike Bracken executive director of digital at the Cabinet Office.
The winner was named in London last night as Carl Haggerty who is digital communications manager for Devon County Council, and who has been responsible for opening up local government data to the public.
The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to Sue Bruce this morning who said:-“I am delighted to have been shortlisted for this award. Local government make a real difference to the lives of people every day and effective leadership is a key part of this. Whilst this is a personal nomination, it really reflects upon the talented teams and dedicated individuals with whom I have worked throughout my years in the public sector.”
Proving that after a disappointment you just have to pick yourself up and get on with it, Ms Bruce was making a presentation this morning in London at the Invest Edinburgh property breakfast….
Chief Exec Sue Bruce promoting Edinburgh at the @InvestEdinburgh London breakfast seminar. pic.twitter.com/SKdPVnOIM8
— Frank Ross (@FrankRoss06) November 13, 2013
Ms Bruce was commended for leading the council through a particularly difficult period. Her nomination mentioned her qualities to drive forward the council’s services and to motivate her staff. She was appointed to the board of utility company SSE earlier this year, a non-executive directorship which is regarded by the Council Leader, Andrew Burns as a positive commendation of Ms Bruce’s abilities. Her time spent working on the SSE board will be taken from her annual leave, and her salary is to be donated to Edinburgh charities.
Lord Smith of Kelvin the SSE chairman said that Sue Bruce has “an outstanding track record as head of an organisation that provides services on which hundreds of thousands of people depend and also makes significant capital investments.”
Sue Bruce took up her current position at the beginning of 2011, having previously been Chief Executive at Aberdeen City Council and East Dunbartonshire Council. She began her local government career with Strathclyde Regional Council in the 1970s spending the early part of her career in social and economic regeneration and then in the wider education field.
Sue has also held a number of senior positions, serving in the Strathclyde Regional Education Directorate until local government re-organisation in 1996 after which she held the post of Depute Director of Education with East Ayrshire Council. In 2000 she joined East Dunbartonshire Council initially as Strategic Director responsible for Education, Housing, Social Work and Cultural Services and had a corporate lead role in social inclusion and equalities.
In May 2010 Sue received the Prince’s Business Ambassador Award for 2010 and again in 2011 from HRH The Prince of Wales and in October 2010 was recognised as the Scottish Public Sector Leader of the Year Award at the Scottish Leadership Awards.
Ms Bruce is also on the shortlist for another award which will be announced tomorrow. She and the CEO of Edinburgh based firm Skyscanner, Gareth Williams, are on the list for the Chief Executive of the Year Award run by HR Networks.
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
