Dame Mary Ney (born 30 August 1949) is a British public servant who served as chief executive of the

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...

from 2000 and 2014.

Early life and education

Mary Ney was born to parents John and Lena Ney on 30 August 1949. She studied at Notre Dame High School in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

before studying mathematics at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, graduating in 1970 and completing a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in the same subject in 1971. She completed a

postgraduate diploma fILE:Prédio Pós Graduação IMECC Unicamp.jpg, The State University of Campinas, as well as many Brazilian universities, offer Postgraduate courses in Brazil A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PGD) is a postgraduat ...

in management studies at the

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

in 1975.

Career

Ney worked at

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council ...

from 1979 until she became director of social services and housing at the

London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow () is a London boroughs, London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street, Watl ...

in 1992. She became chief executive of

in 2000, a role she continued to hold for fourteen years, ending with a salary of £185,000. The council was awarded Council of the Year in 2013.

Later work

She was brought in as a supporting commissioner at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in February 2015 following scandals around child sexual exploitation, as one of five commissioners including Stella Manzie. She succeeded David Meyers as the lead commissioner in March 2017. As commissioner, she "helped to improve performance and rebuild the trust of local residents" including suspending the licences of forty taxi drivers. She served as a non-executive director for the

Department of Communities and Local Government The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for housing, communities, and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 ...

from 2016 to 2018. Ney produced a review in October 2017 for the

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for housing, communities, and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 ...

called "Review of the Governance and Transparency of Local Enterprise Partnerships". In August 2019, she was appointed to lead a review into financial oversight of further education colleges, and in August 2020 led a rapid review into the management of local

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreaks. She is a trustee of

CAFOD The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, commonly known as CAFOD, is an international development and relief charity. It is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. CAFOD is part of the global Caritas Internat ...

and the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark The Archdiocese of Southwark () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. It is led by the Archbishop of Southwark. The archdiocese is part of the Ecclesiastical province, Metropolitan Province of Province of Southwark, ...

Honours

Ney was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) for services to local government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ney, Mary 1949 births Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Living people Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the Regent Street Polytechnic