Glasgow City Council chief executive to stand down in May

Annemarie O'Donnell will depart the chief executive role after nearly a decade

The chief executive of Glasgow City Council is to stand down from her role in May.

Annemarie O'Donnell had held the post for nearly 10 years and will retire to "start making room in my life for other things."

During Ms O'Donnell's time in charge she saw the city council's administration switch from Labour to the SNP, and played a key role in the city's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She was also in the job during the long-lasting equal pay court cases dispute that saw £770m spent on settling the matter with thousands of workers.

Recruitment for a new chief executive is to begin immediately and Ms O'Donnell's successor will be appointed before she leaves the post.

She said she had been "privileged" to hold the job.

She added: "I was still in my 40s when I was appointed chief executive and, since then, nearly a decade has passed in the blink of an eye.

“It’s not a job that really allows you time or capacity to do, or even think about, much else and, when I look forward to the next 10 years, I want to be able to start making room in my life for other things."

Ms O'Donnell also said it would be a mistake to think that the city council would not continue to face "extraordinary challenges" in the coming years.

Council leader Susan Aitken praised Ms O'Donnell for her "professionalism" and for helping to "see Glasgow through everything from major fires to a global pandemic".

She added: “It’s difficult to overstate Annemarie’s contribution to Glasgow during her long career at the council, and particularly as chief executive.

“Her calm demeanour belies a real passion for the city and determination to make things better, especially for our residents and communities who face the biggest challenges."

Ms O'Donnell began her career in local government with Glasgow District Council 33 years ago as a solicitor.

She went on to hold roles in social work services and corporate services, before succeeding George Black as chief executive in 2014.