Leo Boland is currently Chief Executive and Head of Paid Services at the Greater London Authority.

He has spent the whole of his working life in public service in London.

Since his appointment as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Barnet, London’s second largest borough, in January 2001, Leo has succeeded in taking it from a 2 star authority in 2006 to a 4 star in 2008.

He has established the Council on a firm financial footing, having in recent years built its balances from near zero to £17 million, with council tax increases below inflation and government grants amongst the very lowest in the country.

Leo has worked with H.M Treasury, the Mayor of London, Department for Communities and Local Government, and the Government Office for London on the concept of a ‘Barnet Bond’: a means of investing in up to a billion pounds into physical and social infrastructure, which is not funded by council tax or government grant. This is now, at their request, being formally presented to DCLG and HMT.

Born on 1 August 1952, in County Durham, Leo was educated at Ushaw College, Durham, where he obtained 13 ‘O’ Levels and 3 ‘A’ Levels before reading social science at Bristol University. In 1995 he obtained an MBA from the Open University Business School.

Leo began his work in the public service in 1974 as a Graduate Management Trainee at the London Borough of Ealing, before becoming a Community Worker and Company Secretary for Newham Rights Centre, then a Housing Adviser and Housing Improvement Manager at the London Borough of Islington.

In 1989 Leo became Assistant Director of Social Services at the London Borough of Newham, before becoming Assistant Chief Executive. In 2000 he was seconded for 5 months as Deputy Managing Director at Hackney council.

He holds a number of Non-Executive positions, including Government Office for London since 2005, Leadership Centre for Local Government since 2005 and Secretary of the Chief Executives’ London Committee from 2005-2006.

Updated: Nov 09