61-year-old Dave Hill CBE joined in 2018, and reduced the caseloads of staff, brought in more permanent workers, and worked on early intervention.
He’s also credited with transforming Essex from “inadequate” to the brink of “outstanding”.
Surrey County Council CEO Joanna Killian says “at the heart of it he was just a great guy”, whose passion was his family and “doing the very best he could for vulnerable children”.