Tribute to Eamonn Boylan OBE

Marketing Stockport is saddened to hear of the passing of Stockport Council’s former Chief Executive, Eamonn Boylan OBE.

Eamonn was a highly influential British local government official, best known for his leadership role in the development of devolution in Greater Manchester and a career spanning more than four decades in public service. 

Richard (Higginson) and I first met Eamonn 16 years ago when we first had the idea to launch Marketing Stockport. With over 13,000 businesses across the borough, we wanted to shine a spotlight on Stockport as a great place to do business. Already home to major global brands including Thales, MAN Diesel & Turbo (as it was then) and Adidas, we were keen to promote all of Stockport’s growing and already successful business community. 

In his typically approachable style, although we had never crossed paths, Eamonn agreed to meet with us; he was the first person who we shared our idea for Marketing Stockport with. Luckily, he shared our enthusiasm, offered his support, pointed us in the right direction as to which influential business owners and leaders we should approach first, and encouraged us to take that all important leap of faith. 

Fifteen years later and we will be forever grateful for that first guiding hand of encouragement from Eamonn that has enabled us to grow, to continue to support local businesses, to promote Stockport as a great place to do business and to connect businesses to stimulate business growth and to enrich the local economy. 

Eamonn led Stockport Council from April 2010 to 2017 and was a driving force behind Stockport’s hugely ambitious plan of investment and regeneration, and thanks to his vision and stoic belief, Stockport is continuing to be a trail blazer in leading town centre regeneration across the UK. 

Latterly, he was instrumental in the development of Greater Manchester’s devolved powers, regional governance structures, and major programmes in transport, housing, and economic development. He was awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to local government. 

Eamonn Boylan OBE – 1959 to 2026.

Helen White & Richard Higginson, co-founders of Marketing Stockport.