Kate Kenally

Kate Kennally has served as Chief Executive of Cornwall Council since January 2016. She brought over two decades of local government experience to the role, having previously spent ten years in senior positions at the London Borough of Barnet, with earlier career stints in the NHS and voluntary sector across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and the wider South East.

Her professional background is rooted in people services — she started her career working in care — and she has focused Cornwall Council's agenda on inclusive economic growth, community empowerment, and public sector partnerships through a "double devolution" approach.

Key initiatives under her leadership include:

• Climate target: Committing Cornwall Council to carbon neutrality by 2030, twenty years ahead of the national target.
• Spaceport Cornwall: Driving the horizontal satellite launch project at Cornwall Airport Newquay in partnership with the LEP, Goonhilly Earth Station, and Virgin Orbit.
• Service transformation: Reconfiguring council roles, deepening cross-sector partnerships, and accelerating improvement across council services.

She also serves as a Lead Advisor for the Association of County Chief Executives (ACCE).

Sources:

• Cornwall Council Directors Team
• Harvard UK Regional Growth
• LGA Green Paper
• LGC Plus
• ACCE Lead Advisors