Tom Riordan
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Tom Riordan is an English civil servant. He was Chief Executive of
Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the ...
from August 2010 until September 2024, and spent three months working part-time for the UK government from May 2020 leading the Contain strand within
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 ...
NHS Test and Trace NHS Test and Trace was a government-funded service in England, established in 2020 to track and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The programme is part of the UK Health Security Agency; the service and the agency are headed by Jenny Harr ...
programme, setting out the framework for managing local COVID-19 outbreaks.


Early life and education

Riordan was born and educated in
Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Wiske in the Vale of Mowbray and had a population of 16,832 in 2011. Northallerton is an administrative centre for York and North Yorkshire ...
, North Yorkshire. He graduated in Modern History from
Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...
in 1989. He gained an MBA at
Imperial College Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...
in 1997. Due to his parents' mental health problems, Riordan spent periods in care before the age of four, thereafter returning home.


Career

Riordan joined the UK civil service 'fast stream' graduate intake in 1990. He then specialised in environmental policy and represented the UK in international negotiations on climate change and endangered species. Riordan moved to
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
in 1997 and helped set up
Yorkshire Forward Yorkshire Forward was the regional development agency (RDA) for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supported the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, ...
, the
regional development agency In the United Kingdom, regional development agencies (RDAs) were nine non-departmental public body, non-departmental public bodies established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of England's Government Offices for the English R ...
for Yorkshire and Humber, becoming its chief executive in 2006, supporting 10,000 businesses during the recession, completing award-winning regeneration developments and pioneering low carbon initiatives. Riordan was appointed Chief Executive of
Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the ...
in August 2010, and completed a handover period with outgoing chief Paul Rogerson. In 2021 Riordan was shortlisted alongside Mark Britnell for the role of NHS Chief Executive, which was awarded to Amanda Pritchard. In September 2024, Riordan announced he was leaving his role at Leeds City Council after 14 years to take up a new position at the
Department of Health and Social Care The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the s ...
as Second Permanent Secretary.


Coronavirus

In May 2020 Riordan agreed to spend three months, part-time, leading the UK government COVID-19 tracing system.


Personal life

Riordan is married and has two children. He is a keen footballer and
Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Nicknamed the Boro, they were fo ...
supporter. He has experience of mental health issues in his wider family.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Tom Living people Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom Local government in Leeds Local government officers in England People from Northallerton Year of birth missing (living people)