Brent Council’s assistant chief executive is leaving the borough to take up a deputy chief executive post with Waltham Forest.

Shazia Hussain has been praised by Brent for her role in the borough’s Covid-19 response and for her work with equalities.

Shazia said: “I feel incredibly grateful to have worked with such a dedicated and strong corporate leadership team during my time at Brent, as well as with our brilliant councillors and cabinet.

“Through some of the toughest of circumstances over these past few years, council key workers have been getting on with the job and doing amazing work on behalf of our residents.

“I’m really proud that during my time at Brent we’ve been able to bring the serious issues of racial inequality to the fore. Whether that is tackling health inequalities or creating opportunities for black residents, who have been historically marginalised, or making the climate agenda more accessible to diverse communities.

“Brent is doing everything it can to create a fairer and more equal borough and I am pleased to have been able to contribute to this important agenda.”

Shazia joined Brent in December 2019 following nine successful years in a variety of senior management positions at Tower Hamlets.

She will join Waltham Forest Council later this summer.

Carolyn Downs, chief executive of Brent Council, added: “Shazia joined Brent just a few months before Covid-19 engulfed local communities and played a pivotal role in the council’s response.

“With Shazia as assistant chief executive we developed a deeper approach to community engagement, making sure we truly understood what local people needed. We became more responsive to the needs of local communities and renewed our focus on targeted, culturally competent communications.

“Shazia also played a key role in the equalities agenda as the council moved to address the serious inequalities that exist – particularly with health and race inequalities. I would like to thank Shazia for all her work here in Brent and wish her all the best in her new role in Waltham Forest.”