Rachel Stopard has announced she is stepping down from her role as chief executive of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP).
Ms Stopard, 59, has decided to retire after more than 37 years of local government service and will step down in May.
The organisation’s transport director Peter Blake will assume a new role on an interim basis as director of the GCP, leading up to the planned Government Gateway Review in 2025.
Ms Stopard said: “It has been a great privilege to work in public service for so many years. From my early days with Hertfordshire County Council to my time with the Greater Cambridge Partnership, I have seen how the sector has faced numerous challenges but has continued to focus on delivering for residents and communities.
“I never expected, when I arrived in Cambridge back in 2017, to stay here for this long. It has been a rewarding and energising programme that has kept me here – helping to make Cambridge a better place now and in the future.”
She was employed to bring clarity, focus and leadership to the delivery of the up to £1bn City Deal programme, which aims to deliver major transport, infrastructure, and connectivity improvements across Greater Cambridge.
Cllr Elisa Meschini, chair of the GCP’s executive board, said: “I’d like to thank Rachel, on behalf of the board, for her leadership of the GCP and to wish her well for the future. Rachel has ensured that we have a strong programme of work to deliver, to transform the transport infrastructure and connectivity across Greater Cambridge.
“She has worked tirelessly to ensure the GCP has become the partnership body able to deliver major change within a very complex local system of governance.
“I look forward to working with Peter Blake and the rest of the excellent team that Rachel has built at the GCP, which I am confident have the right combination of skills and capabilities to deliver the remaining parts of the programme for the benefit of residents across Greater Cambridge and beyond.”
