Alton Towers boss is new Derbyshire council chief
Theme park boss Neil Crittenden is set to swap rollercoasters for recycling collections after being appointed as Derbyshire County Council’s new chief executive.
Crittenden, currently interim vice president for Alton Towers in Staffordshire, was the resort’s commercial and operations director for ten years prior to taking up the vice president’s role in September.
The announcement follows a decision by Emma Alexander, formerly the authority’s most senior executive, to leave Derbyshire to take up a role at Tameside MBC. The council’s former head of adult care and health, Simon Stevens, had been serving as interim chief executive but also resigned from that role earlier this week.
“I’m delighted to be recommended as the new Chief Executive for Derbyshire County Council, and if my appointment is agreed by Full Council I will very much look forward to taking on this exciting role,” said Neil Crittenden.
“It will be a privilege to work with such a forward-looking Leader, Cabinet and elected members, and I’m particularly looking forward to meeting and working with great colleagues across the council and doing my best for the residents of Derbyshire.”
In a statement, Derbyshire County Council said Crittenden’s skillset, which includes oversight of multi-million-pound budgets, complex service delivery and high-profile projects, will “translate directly into delivering high-quality services for residents and communities.”
“With many years of executive leadership experience, Neil has a proven track record in driving organisational transformation and managing large-scale operations,” added council Leader Cllr Alan Graves.
The appointment is subject to formal approval by full council on 10 December.
