Cumbria County Council chief executive Katherine Fairclough is leaving the authority after four years at the helm.
Mrs Fairclough will leave in the early summer to take up the role of chief executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Cumbria County Council leader Stewart Young said: “Katherine has been an outstanding chief executive and it has been a real pleasure to work alongside her.
“Liverpool City Region is gaining an outstanding individual in every field.
“She has shown Cumbria what great public sector leadership looks like. Her personal style, strong values and commitment to working in a collaborative way has really helped steer Cumbria through some difficult times, not least over the last 12 months during the COVID pandemic.”
Mrs Fairclough added: “My decision to take up this new role has not been taken lightly.
“I am exceptionally proud of what has been achieved during my time in Cumbria.
“In particular I feel there are now really strong relationships and a great commitment to joint working across all partners.
“I see a real sense of collaborative working, based around a shared common goal of putting the people of Cumbria first.”
