• Corporate Director of Children and Young People
• Corporate Director of Inclusive Economy, Housing and Culture
• Chief Marketing Officer
Following an extensive recruitment and selection process Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE and Chief Executive Abi Gbago are pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Eden as Corporate Director of Children and Young People, Paul Kitson as Corporate Director of Inclusive Economy, Housing and Culture, and Adrian Thomas as Chief Marketing Officer.
Laura Eden joins from Islington Council where she has been the Director of Safeguarding for the past four years and prior to that was the Director of Youth and Communities for two years. Laura has been with Islington since 2005 having joined as a Social Work Team Manager.
Paul Kitson is currently the Strategic Director of Place, Prosperity and Sustainability at Birmingham City Council, leading a team of 600 and a revenue budget of £125m. At Birmingham he has led on the successful launch of the widely admired 'Our Future City Plan' and secured development partners for the Arden Cross and Ladywood regeneration schemes, along with significant service re-design and cultural change. Prior to Birmingham, he spent 10 years in Homes England where he honed his place-based skills and approach. Paul was Regional Director for the South East, led the Garden Towns and Villages programme, and was instrumental in leading Homes England's refreshed approach to regeneration.
Adrian Thomas has been the Director of Communications at UNISON since 2021 where he has introduced a data-driven approach across the communications function and developed a roadmap for digital transformation. Previously Adrian was the Director of Marketing and Communications at Barts Charity where he established a brand-led approach to fundraising, raising more than £4m in a 5-month period. As Director of Communications and Public Affairs at LSE he raised LSE's social media ranking to 2nd among UK universities, and delivered major digital transformation across their website, content, and mobile platforms.
Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Mayor of Newham said: “I am thrilled to announce these appointments. Laura, Adrian and Paul are highly skilled leaders who have driven significant change and innovation in their previous roles, and I look forward to working with them all to drive our agenda to build a fairer Newham for all our people, I know they are all as ambitious for Newham as I am. The wealth of passion, experience and knowledge they bring will be vital as we continue to navigate the pressures that are currently being faced by councils across the country.”
Abi Gbago, Chief Executive said: "I am delighted with the appointments made for these three crucial roles for us as a council. Laura, Paul and Adrian will enable us to strengthen our leadership team and drive forward delivery of the ambitions we have as an authority. I look forward to welcoming all three to the Newham and my Corporate Management Team in the next few months.”
Laura Eden said: "While I will be sad to leave Islington, I am really excited to be joining Newham in a few months and look forward to the privilege of being able to lead Children and Young People Services. My values around fairness, equity and inclusion are aligned with Newham's, and I am delighted to join the incredible journey Newham has been on to ensure children, young people, families and communities are safeguarded, supported and cared for."
Paul Kitson said: "Newham has many of the most exciting regeneration and development plans in London, if not the country, and I cannot wait to work with the Mayor, the Chief Executive and the communities of Newham to bring those plans to life and to build on the already strong work that has taken place. Now more than ever it is essential that the whole Borough feels the benefit from the development taking place within it, I look forward to getting on with that work."
Adrian Thomas said: "Having previously led public engagement campaigns locally, I know first-hand just how dynamic and diverse a borough Newham is. I am thrilled and delighted to be joining a leadership team with such evident vision, passion and ambition for the people of Newham. I was impressed and inspired by what both Abi and Rokhsana had to say, and their shared understanding of the importance of engagement and communications in delivering their priorities.
"As a role at the cutting edge of local government marketing and communications, and with resident participation and strategic delivery at its heart, there are incredibly exciting possibilities for innovation and delivery in our comms approach and I feel genuinely humbled and privileged to have been appointed. I can't wait to get started."
Adrian will be starting in March, with Laura and Paul both starting in April.