Senior Leadership Team

The chief executive is the most senior officer of the council, appointed by councillors to be the 'head of paid service'. Executive directors are officers who report directly to the chief executive. Their areas of responsibility are shown in our organisation structure chart.

Following the Government intervention at Thurrock Council, Dr Dave Smith has been appointed as independent Managing Director Commissioner fulfilling the role of a Chief Executive.

The Managing Director Commissioner is responsible for day-to-day operations of the council and will provide strategic direction and leadership, until such time as a permanent appointment to the vacant post of Chief Executive can be made.

Chief executive

The chief executive is responsible for:

managing the council's employees, services and work
setting important directions for the council
making sure the decisions councillors make are carried out

Senior Leadership Team is responsible for:

checking performance across the council
delivering the government's initiatives and policies
supporting managers and staff to develop and deliver services
working with other organisations

Senior Leadership Team membership

Person	Role
Dave Smith	Chief Executive
Alex Powell	Assistant Chief Executive
Ian Wake	Executive Director of Adult, Housing and Health
Sheila Murphy	Executive Director of Children's Services
Daniel Fenwick	Executive Director of Corporate Services, and Monitoring Officer
Claire Demmel	Interim Executive Director of Place
Kerry Thomas	Chief of Staff
Dawn Calvert	Interim Chief Financial Officer and Section 151 Officer

We publish a list of senior managers' salaries.