Only last month, HR magazine questioned whether an HR director could have the drive, courage, commitment and commercial accumen to make it to CEO. As if by magic, Mike Cooke (pictured), who was once HR director at Camden Council, has been appointed its chief executive.

It was on Monday 7 November that the council and its panel had given the appointment to Cooke and he will take up the role in January.

He is deputy chief executive of the council, as well as director of housing and adult social care and human resources. He was previously director of organisational development at Camden. His background includes previous local government public sector and private sector experience at a senior executive level. The Council's outgoing chief executive Moira Gibb announced in July that she would step down from the role after eight years. In appointing a new chief executive, Camden was transparent. It announced that as part of the council's drive to reduce the cost of senior officers, Cooke's basic remuneration package would be reduced by 20% from what his predecessor earned.

Labour councillor Nasim Ali, leader of the council, said: "I am delighted that, following an open and transparent recruitment process, we have been able to find an exceptional candidate with the range of qualities and experience to lead Camden through the challenges before us.

"We pledged to reduce the remuneration on offer and have done so, without compromising on the quality of our appointment."

Cooke has been a regular commentator in HR magazine, especially since being appointed to the role as lead officer on pay and reward at the Public Sector People Managers' Association in 2010. As early as January last year - and before the election of a coalition Government - he predicted that following the recession, "pain in the public sector had only begun".

Having promoted fair and transparent reward practices among public sector HRDs, he has seen it made evident in his own appointment. Let us hope he can push forward the right messages on a wider agenda.