Atlanta Chief Operating Office Duriya Farooqui is leaving Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration for the private sector, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
Farooqui, who succeeded former COO Peter Aman in 2011, has accepted a position as a principal with Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. Her last day is Jan. 31.
“Duriya has a strong record of performance at the city and her focus on delivering concrete results was a vital part of my administration’s success during the past four years,” said Reed, who announced the news Friday at a meeting of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a board of Atlanta-based executives.
Farooqui praised Reed’s leadership and said serving the city has been “an honor.”
“Working with Mayor Reed has been the highlight of my career,” said Farooqui, 37, thanking his cabinet and the Atlanta City Council for their support of her work.
Farooqui’s departure comes just days after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport General Manager Louis Miller announced his retirement, and a few months after spokeswoman Sonji Jacobs left to accept a position with AJC-parent company, Cox Enterprises.
That leaves Reed with a slate of major positions to fill as he heads into his second term.
City officials said it’s too soon to know whether Reed will launch another nationwide initiative for her replacement. Reed hasn’t yet named an interim leader.
Farooqui, the city’s third female COO, first joined City Hall in 2007 under former mayor Shirley Franklin.
As COO, she has worked on a variety of projects including managing lease negotiations to help finance the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal, balancing the city’s annual budget, aiding in 2011 pension reform and overseeing development of the city’s 311 call center set to open next year.
She also played a major role in both the 30-year agreement with the Atlanta Falcons and negotiations with two churches that agreed to sell to make way for the Falcons stadium near Martin Luther King Drive.
Farooqui’s team was amid lease renewal negotiations with the Atlanta Braves when the team abruptly announced a $672 million stadium deal with Cobb County officials last month. The deal commits $300 million in taxpayer funds to the project.
Farooqui, whose background includes positions with the World Bank, said working for local government was a career surprise.
“Local government was not part of the plan. It was completely happenstance,” she said. “But I got hooked and I stayed.”
Asked whether she eyed her own political future, Farooqui demurred and said: “Never say never.”
Miles Cook, a managing partner at Bain’s Atlanta office, issued a rare statement on her hiring.
“Duriya’s leadership abilities and proven track record of helping drive transformations are significant assets that will help our clients,” he said.
Aman, Reed’s former COO, is a partner at Bain’s Atlanta office.
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