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Graeme Kane has been appointed by Cambridgeshire CC as its executive director of place and sustainability.Kane comes to the council from North Northamptonshire Council, where he was corporate director of highways, waste, regeneration and growth.Kane said: ‘The council's ambition, values and commitment to delivering for its communities really stood out to me.'Chief executive Stephen Moir added: ‘Graeme was the unanimous choice of the councillors involved in the selection process. His experience and collaborative approach will be of huge benefit both to us and to the county.'Moir thanked Lee Harris for his ‘superb contribution' since February as Cambridgeshire's interim executive director. The Highland Council has announced the appointment of Kirsty MacPherson as chief officer for secondary education.MacPherson is currently quality improvement manager at East Renfrewshire Council and has previously served as a head teacher at Dumfries and Galloway and Shetland Isles Councils.She also previously held roles in a number of schools at Highland Council earlier in her career.MacPherson said: ‘Throughout my career I have been passionate about improving outcomes and life chances for young people and I am excited by the opportunity to work with Highland's school communities to build on their many strengths.' The Housing, Communities and Local Government committee has endorsed Bill Butler as the Government's preferred candidate to chair the new Local Audit Office.Butler is currently chair of Public Sector Audit Appointments and also holds non-executive roles with The Law Society and Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board.Following Butler's public grilling, the committee said: ‘Tackling the local audit crisis will be a significant challenge not only for the Local Audit Office and its chair, but for local authorities and local auditors for several years. Cllr Abi Brown has announced she will not seek re-election to the Local Government Association's Conservative group executive.Cllr Brown, who had served as deputy leader of the group since 2023, said it had been ‘a genuine privilege to serve Conservative colleagues across the country' and was ‘immensely grateful for the support, encouragement and friendship I have received during that time'.She added that she would continue to serve as a councillor and ‘focus on some new opportunities and challenges'. Hammersmith and Fulham LBC's leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan, has been elected chair of London Councils.The Labour councillor will hold the portfolio of finance and devolution for the cross-party body.Cllr Cowan said: ‘Londoners face enormous challenges. They have a right to expect all elected representatives of London local government, from across the different political parties, to work together to find the solutions that rise to those challenges.‘It is an honour to have been voted to chair London Councils and, along with my colleagues, to have the chance to serve.' Commercial law firm Bevan Brittan has appointed Kuldip Dhanoya to lead its central and local government offering.Dhanoya was previously at TLT, where she led the public procurement team.She said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team that is deeply respected across both central and local government. I'm excited to lead such a talented team and look forward to further strengthening and expanding this already market-leading offering in the years ahead.'Senior partner Jodie Sinclair added: ‘Kuldip is a high-quality addition to our central and local government expertise.' Pensions firm Aptia has appointed Wendy Neller as senior consultant within its consulting practice.Neller joined East Sussex CC in 2006, where she held successive senior roles within the local government pension scheme before joining the Pensions Regulator in 2020 as the sole technical principal in market oversight.Aptia's consulting leader Stuart Heatley said: ‘Wendy's experience across administration, regulation and consulting makes her a welcome addition to our team. Her knowledge of scheme operations and regulatory expectations will be invaluable in helping clients navigate an evolving regulatory landscape with confidence, enabling more informed and better outcomes for members.'

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PEOPLE

County adds to leadership team

By Martin Ford | 18 June 2026

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