When Warwickshire CC chief executive Monica Fogarty was announced as The MJ Chief Executive of the Year 2022, it was ‘a huge surprise'.

The Penna-sponsored award was not the best bit, she says, it was knowing she had been nominated by her team.

‘If I hadn't won, I would still have been absolutely over the moon that they felt I was worthy… That all gave me such a fantastic warm glow – and a touch of embarrassment as well.'

She is not someone who seeks out the limelight. Being chief executive garners some attention, but it is not her driving force. ‘I love talking to people, but I don't gravitate towards adulation – I'm not comfortable with it,' she says.

But she was thrilled at what it meant for Warwickshire CC and for the politicians. ‘They're very proud and it gives confidence to the organisation,' she says. ‘For me, it underlines all the things we get right in Warwickshire.'

In its third year, Monica suggests it is an award that needs to be celebrated. Local authority chief executives do the job because they love it, but there is often little external reward and recognition.

‘You're managing risk, you're preventing things from going wrong, your keeping your organisation and community safe. We rarely pause or come up for air. The MJ Awards acknowledge the good work that's done in local government and we don't do that much.'

It is, she suggests, something she tries to do with staff at Warwickshire's own annual staff awards to thank people. ‘It's humbling to see… the glow that it gives people even if you are just saying thank you.'

It is not very ‘public sector', she claims. ‘We're not money motivated. We're not rewards driven…we are here because we want to be.'

Monica is, she says, very normal. ‘I don't have a work persona and a private persona. What you see is what you get.

‘I love people. I talk to anyone and everyone in our organisation. I think because I'm genuinely interested in people and what's going on with them, I think it surprises them. Chief executives are these mythical creatures that sit at the top of the organisation and no one ever sees because they are not human.

‘What makes me different, and I see this as a growing trend in chief executives, is a natural warmth and engagement with other people. People can relate to me because I will talk openly about my life.'

During Covid, we all became a little more human, seeing into each other's homes via Teams – although she also tells The MJ she was in the office much of the time: ‘I don't like working from home. I like to feel connected.'

Monica left university with ‘high expectations' but no real idea of what she wanted to do until a management services job came up at Coventry City Council. ‘That allowed me to go all the way around the organisation doing staffing reviews, time and motion, improvement… which was brilliant.

‘Then I moved into the chief executive's department as a policy coordinator… and I really got to understand how policy planning, performance and budget setting all work.' She had found her niche. She became corporate policy manager, first at Coventry and then at Warwickshire CC.

She has, she says, loved every minute of it.

There are things she is really proud of, the transformation journey the council has been on, the technical changes and the culture shift. ‘It's got a common sense of missions. People are there because they want to be the best they can be.

‘There is no egos, no baggage no silos, no tensions… we are an absolutely solid team who respect, trust and like each other.'

There are some difficult years ahead for local government. ‘If the sector doesn't thrive, I'm concerned we're going to see the impact of that on services for people.

‘As an organisation, we exist to look after people, support communities… if you don't have a strong local government sector, that's going to be jeopardised. To me that's the very core of society.'

In Warwickshire, they are working on community power. ‘We had our eyes opened during the pandemic about how resourceful, how willing, our communities are to get stuck into supporting each other… I'm desperate to hold on to that.'

‘Capitalising on that…is probably my key priority now.'

‘It's absolutely essential if we're going to weather the economic, the political turbulence, the challenges we're seeing… we need to come together, not fight among ourselves.'

Chief Executive of the Year

Sponsored by

Penna

Winner

Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive

Warwickshire County Council

Judges

• Ade Adetosoye, Chief Executive, London Borough of Bromley

• Alison Griffin, Chief Executive, London Councils

• Joanne Roney, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council

• Kate Kennally, Chief Executive, Cornwall Council

• Alison McKenzie-Folan, Chief Executive, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

• Carolyn Downs, Chief Executive, London Borough of Brent

The MJ Awards provide the people in local government with the recognition they deserve. If you and your team go above and beyond, enter the 2023 Awards now.