Mark Fowler, the current Deputy Chief Executive and Corporate Director for Population Wellbeing, has been appointed Luton Council’s Interim Chief Executive.
The decision was ratified at a Full Council meeting last week following a recommendation by a cross-party Member panel.
Mr Fowler will succeed Robin Porter who announced at the end of January that he will step down from his role in April, , for family reasons, after six years as CEO and 17 years with the organisation
Mr Fowler joined Luton Council in February 2022 as Corporate Director for Population Wellbeing and has been Deputy Chief Executive since April 2023.
Prior to this, Mr Fowler has considerable senior leadership experience working at the London boroughs of Croydon and Barking & Dagenham for over 10 years. He has led on work across, housing, social care, human resources, resident experience and communities. Delivering system wide changes and improvements for residents, whilst achieving considerable savings.
While at Luton, he has been the corporate lead for redressing health inequalities, which includes work on housing, social care and place-based provision. He also has responsibility for the council’s five-year transformation program.
Mr Fowler, who will begin his work as interim Chief Executive on April 4, 2025, said: “It is a great honour to be chosen for this role. At Luton we have an ambitious vision in Luton 2040 through which we aspire to make a generational change.
“Whilst we do face challenges in funding and demand on services, we have the members, partners, and officers in place to take the steps needed for success. I feel very fortunate to work with such a talented and committed group of people and look forward to working together and providing the changes required for Luton.”
Councillor Hazel Simmons MBE, Leader of Luton Council, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Robin for his many years of service to Luton. I look forward to continuing to work with Mark in his new role as Interim Chief Executive as we seek to build a healthy, fair, and sustainable town where everyone can thrive, and no one has to live in poverty.”
Mr Porter, outgoing Chief Executive at Luton Council said: “Mark has been a fantastic system leader over the last three years, driving real positive change for the people of Luton, I look forward to seeing what he continues to achieve in his new role.”
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