Kate Josephs joined Sheffield City Council as Chief Executive in January 2021, following a 20-year career in national government in the UK and United States. She leads an organisation of over 8,000 staff, supporting Sheffield’s political leadership to deliver for England’s fourth largest city. Since joining Sheffield, Kate has led a major programme of organisational improvement and renewal, strengthening the Council’s focus on delivery, resident outcomes, partnership working and long-term strategic planning. She has championed a more ambitious, outward-facing agenda for the city, including the development of Sheffield’s ten-year City Goals and the city’s first inclusive Growth Plan, launched in 2024. Kate has played a central role in securing Sheffield’s position as a city of national significance for culture, investment and innovation. This has included work to secure the long-term future of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, support for major housing and city centre growth, and the development of a new investment prospectus to bring forward regeneration and inclusive economic growth. She chairs Sheffield’s Housing Growth Board and has helped build a strong strategic partnership with Homes England, supporting new models of delivery to unlock housing growth across the city. She has also driven Sheffield’s public service reform agenda, including the Council’s Test, Learn and Grow model, and work to develop Sheffield’s role as one of the Government's Thematic Policy Campuses. Before joining Sheffield, Kate held senior roles in HM Treasury, the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, the Department for Education and the Cabinet Office COVID-19 Taskforce. She was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2021 for exemplary public service. Originally from Doncaster, Kate was educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, and lives in Sheffield with her husband and two children.