Mary Harpley joined the GLA as Chief Officer in September 2018. Mary has previously held a number of roles in local and regional government as: Chief Executive, London Borough of Hounslow; Chief Executive, Cherwell District Council; and Corporate Director at Advantage West Midlands, the former Regional Development Agency for the West Midlands.

Before joining the public sector, Mary worked for McKinsey & Company as a management consultant, and for Reed Elsevier in their book and magazine publishing businesses.

Mary lives in west London with her family.