Greenwich Council will have a new chief executive after councillors backed appointing Rickardo Hyatt to the top job at Woolwich Town Hall.
Hyatt, who was brought up in Lewisham, will become Greenwich’s most senior council officer on a salary of about £240,000. He will be in charge of about 4,000 staff and a £300 million budget.
His appointment was confirmed four months after Debbie Warren, the current chief executive, announced she was retiring after 46 years of working for Greenwich Council.
Hyatt, 44, is currently deputy chief executive and director of climate, homes and economy at Hackney Council, overseeing its work in planning, council housing, community safety and the environment.
Before that, he was at the Greater London Authority for ten years, where he became executive director for housing and land, in charge of major regeneration projects.
Hyatt was the unanimous choice of Anthony Okereke, the Labour council leader; Tamasin Rhymes, the Green opposition leader and Matt Hartley, the former Conservative leader, who carried out the interviews for the role.
“Ricardo demonstrates the leadership capability, strategic vision, and the values required to lead the council through its next phase of development,” Okereke told councillors at a special meeting on Monday evening.
Addressing the chief executive-designate, who was watching from the public gallery, Okereke added: “We say to Mr Hayat, our motto is ‘we govern by serving’. Take this value set and run with it.”
Rhymes called Hyatt “a really strong appointment” and added: “We’re hoping for a lot from our new CEO. I’m sure we will all have many, many requests as soon as he starts.”
Charlie Davis, the new Conservative leader, welcomed Hyatt to “what I’m sure you will quickly discover is the best borough in London”.
He added: “We look forward to working constructively with you in the years ahead.”
Okereke said that one resident had already emailed the council asking that their correspondence go to Hyatt rather than Warren. “That shows how keenly our residents are looking in terms of emailing him and paying attention to what is happening in the council,” he said.
“Mr Hyatt, you have residents waiting for you already.”
Hyatt has previously said that he was “hugely honoured” to be chosen for the role.
“Greenwich is a borough with an extraordinary story to tell – world-class heritage, ambitious growth plans and communities that care deeply about their neighbourhoods,” he said.
He will start his role in the coming months, with Warren staying in charge for a handover period.
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