Abi Brown OBE spent eight years running Stoke-on-Trent, first as Deputy Leader and then as Leader of the City Council, before stepping away from local front-line politics in 2023. In that time she rebuilt the council's finances and reputation, delivered the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, and led the city through a period of real regeneration. She's been the ward councillor for Meir Park since 2010 and led the Conservative Group for over a decade.
 

Throughout her political career as a senior councillor, as a strong female leader she has consistently appeared on the national stage - on National regional TV and radio, a well known speaker at political and local government conferences and on social media.

She was appointed by the Secretary of State as a Best Value Commissioner at the London Borough of Croydon Council in July 2025, as part of the team sent in to steady the authority's governance and finances. She sits on the board of Homes England, has chaired the Local Government Association's improvement arm (a £45m programme with 250 staff), and mentors councillors and senior officers across the country through the LGA's peer network.

In 2026 she set up Cura Leadership, offering the kind of practical, straight-talking leadership development and mentoring she wishes more people had had access to earlier in their own career.
 

She was awarded an OBE for services to local government in 2024 and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Staffordshire.