Dr Nugent joined Coventry City Council as Chief Executive in June 2023. She has a strong track record in attracting and delivering investment to support businesses, people, and communities. She has worked at senior level across a range of organisations, at national, regional, and local level – including senior roles in government, the voluntary sector and education. Previously, Julie was Executive Director for Economy, Skills, and Communities at the West Midlands Combined Authority. She was responsible for delivery across economic development, employment and skills, health, and communities, and played a critical role in negotiating two devolution deals that resulted in more funding being released to the region. This included leading on the investment of over half a billion pounds into training and employment support programmes that have helped thousands of local people to get the skills and support they needed to secure good jobs. Julie has also led on large-scale transformation programmes, overseeing the delivering of improved services to businesses and people.