Tom Riordan is an English civil servant. He has been Chief Executive of

Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of l ...

since August 2010, and spent three months working part-time for the UK government from May 2020 leading the Contain strand within

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

NHS Test and Trace programme, setting out the framework for managing local COVID-19 outbreaks.

Early life and education

Riordan was born and educated in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. He graduated in Modern History from Trinity College,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1989. He gained an MBA at

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

in 1997. Due to his parents' mental health problems, Riordan spent periods in care before the age of four, thereafter returning home.

Career

Riordan joined the UK civil service 'fast stream' graduate intake in 1990. He then specialised in environmental policy and represented the UK in international negotiations on climate change and endangered species. Riordan moved to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

in 1997 and helped set up Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire and Humber, becoming its chief executive in 2006, supporting 10,000 businesses during the recession, completing award-winning regeneration developments and pioneering low carbon initiatives. Riordan was appointed Chief Executive of

in August 2010, and completed a handover period with outgoing chief Paul Rogerson.

Coronavirus

In May 2020 Riordan agreed to spend three months, part-time, leading the UK government COVID-19 tracing system.

Personal life

Riordan is married and has two children. He is a keen footballer and Middlesbrough F.C. supporter. He has experience of mental health issues in his wider family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Tom Living people Local government officers in England Local government in Leeds COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom Year of birth missing (living people)