Mary Harpley became Chief Executive of Cherwell District Council, North Oxfordshire in May 2006, joining the world of Local Government for the first time. She moved from the Regional Development Agency for the West Midlands, Advantage West Midlands, where she was Corporate Director for Enterprise and Innovation. Prior to joining the public sector Mary was a Consultant with McKinsey and Company. She joined McKinsey after working in the publishing industry, both at Reed Elsevier and Oxford University Press in a number of marketing and branding roles.