Nuala Gallagher appointed Liverpool development boss
The city council has hired Limerick Council’s director of planning, environment, and placemaking to take over from Mark Bourgeois, who has held the position on an interim basis since last year.
Nuala Gallagher will take on the role of corporate director of city development at the end of March.
In her new position, Gallagher will lead a 300-strong team in overseeing planning, property and asset management, investment strategy, skills, adult learning, and environmental and sustainability policies.
She has held similar roles at Bristol City Council, Belfast City Council, and London Borough of Newham.
Between 2010 and 2012, Gallagher was a project director at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation in Brooklyn, New York.
There, she led a sustainable community development project in Cypress Hills that included brownfield regeneration, land assembly, and design development.
While at Newham, Gallagher was involved in the regeneration of Canning Town, Custom House, Lea Valley, Stratford, and Royal Docks as part of the London Olympic Games legacy initiative.
Her background in placemaking also includes her current role as a board member of property development company Limerick Twenty Thirty. She is also a registered architect.
Liverpool City Council has been searching for a long-term replacement in the lead development role since former director of regeneration Nick Kavanagh was sacked in 2021.
Mark Bousfield held the position for a year between January 2021 and 2022 before Mark Bourgeois was drafted in.
Bourgeois, the former managing director of UK and Ireland at Hammerson, will depart later this year, paving the way for Gallagher’s arrival.
Theresa Grant, interim chief executive of Liverpool City Council, praised Gallagher’s recruitment.
“Nuala is a highly talented and inspiring leader, and will be a brilliant addition to the council’s senior management team at this critical juncture in our improvement journey,” Grant said.
“I have no doubt she will deliver real transformation in our approach to developing the city and driving economic growth and skills, building on the work interim director Mark Bourgeois has started.”
For her part, Gallagher said she was “delighted” to join the Liverpool team.
“This job is a huge opportunity to help shape the future of a city, which has an incredible amount of untapped potential,” she said.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the talented team who are working hard to deliver long-term improvements for the city’s residents,” Gallagher continued.
“My focus will be on ensuring Liverpool is a strong investable proposition, and driving forward its development in a way that is sustainable and benefits all our communities.”
Liverpool City Council is in the midst of a senior team reorganisation. In addition to seeking a new chief executive, the local authority is also recruiting a corporate director of neighbourhoods and housing, a director of housing, a director of highways and transport, and a director of economic strategy, skills, and sustainability – among other key positions.
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