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Honorary Doctor of Business Administration, 2008
Bio | Citation

Joanna Killian is a high flyer and a top achiever in the world of service delivery. She joined Essex County Council as Director for Finance and Performance in March 2005, taking on a wider brief of Director for Policy, Resources and Performance three months later. She started her role as Acting Chief Executive in June 2006 and was appointed Chief Executive in September 2006, the first woman to hold the post, aged 41. She leads an eight-strong corporate leadership team and has a close working relationship with the Leader of the Council.

Housing and regeneration is Joanna's professional background, having worked in Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Croydon Councils since leaving Keele University in 1986. Joanna has significant experience and expertise in social housing development and construction, procurement, estate renewal, housing finance, planning, the use of innovative public/private partnership and funding models regeneration, economic development and community cohesion.

On 1st October 2007 Joanna also took responsibility as Chief Executive for Brentwood District Council with a mandate to secure seamless and efficient services for customers and taxpayers across the tiers in this locality of Essex. It was the first such arrangement in the country. She has been active in enhancing the capacity the County Council has to support the delivery of high quality, sustainable housing, regeneration and economic growth as well as secure the core infrastructure to meet the needs and ambitions of people and businesses in Essex.

In 2008, Joanna Killian was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration.

Areas Of Interest: Local Government, Business
Faculty: Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Citation:

"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read out the citation for Joanna Killian. Joanna Killian is a high flyer and a top achiever in the world of service delivery. She joined Essex County Council as Director for Finance and Performance in March 2005, taking on a wider brief of Director for Policy, Resources and Performance three months later. She started her role as Acting Chief Executive in June 2006 and was appointed Chief Executive in September 2006, the first woman to hold the post, aged 41. She leads a ten-strong corporate leadership team and has a close working relationship with the Leader of the Council, Lord Hanningfield, who is a strong advocate of community leadership within and outside Essex.

On 1st October 2007 she also took responsibility as Chief Executive for Brentwood District Council with a mandate to secure seamless and efficient services for customers and taxpayers across the tiers in this locality of Essex. It was the first such arrangement in the country. Her priorities in Essex County Council have been to secure a major programme of transformation and efficiency within the organisation; drive up performance in key service areas and to deliver greater choice and control for local communities, most notably in relation to services for Older People and Children and Young People. She has worked hard to deepen partnership working to secure delivery of one of the largest Local Area Agreements in the country, as well as to reach effective consensus for a new waste strategy for the county (£4.5 billion over its lifetime).

She has been active in enhancing the capacity the County Council has to support the delivery of high quality, sustainable housing, regeneration and economic growth as well as secure the core infrastructure to meet the needs and ambitions of people and businesses in Essex. She is an active Director of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership. She is passionate about the staff within the organisations she leads and works hard to ensure that they have strong opportunities for development and that they receive the support they require to continue to deliver excellent front line services to people in Essex.

Before joining Essex County Council, Joanna was Director of Local Government Performance and Improvement with the Audit Commission. In that role she led the Commission's work on Comprehensive Performance Assessment as well as on a range of performance improvement initiatives in local government. She started her life in the Audit Commission within the Housing Inspectorate as it was being set up in 2000. As the Lead Housing Inspector for London she delivered a high quality programme of assessment in some of the most complex organisations and communities in the country, working closely with professional groups as well as tenant and leaseholder representatives.

Housing and regeneration is Joanna's professional background having worked in Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Croydon Councils since leaving Keele University in 1986. She shares her interest in housing and 'council life' with her husband Abdool Kara, who has an MSc in Housing, and is currently Assistant Chief Executive of the London Borough of Merton.

Joanna has significant experience and expertise in social housing development and construction, procurement, estate renewal, housing finance, planning, the use of innovative public/private partnership and funding models regeneration, economic development and community cohesion. Describing her work mission and the key role of Essex County Council in the community, she says; 'Ultimately, we will be judged on how well we enhance the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in Essex.'

She is a dynamic leader, an inspiration to others and we are proud to have her in charge of our county. Joanna Killian, I hereby invite the Vice Chancellor to confer upon you the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration."

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