London Fire Brigade appoints Spencer Sutcliff and Mat Walker as Deputy Commissioners
Iain Hoey
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LFB leadership expands with new appointments
London Fire Brigade has announced that Spencer Sutcliff and Mat Walker have been appointed as its new Deputy Commissioners.
According to a statement from London Fire Brigade published on 6 August, the appointments follow the departure of Deputy Commissioner Charlie Pugsley and the earlier appointment of Jonathan Smith as Commissioner.
The organisation confirmed that Sutcliff and Walker will assume responsibility for operational portfolios covering prevention, protection, preparedness and response.
Sutcliff will take up the post from 5 August, while Walker will begin his new role on 1 October.
Sutcliff to lead prevention, protection and policy
Spencer Sutcliff has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Prevention, Protection & Policy.
London Fire Brigade stated that Sutcliff has been with the service for 27 years and has served as Assistant Commissioner since October 2022, overseeing the Fire Stations and Central Operations function.
In his most recent role, Sutcliff was responsible for 103 fire stations across London.
The brigade said he led performance improvements during that time and strengthened operational delivery to communities.
Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “Spencer has been with LFB for 27 years and, as well as the knowledge and experience he brings, has demonstrated exceptional leadership during that time, most recently as Assistant Commissioner responsible for LFB’s 103 fire stations.
“During that time he has overseen significant improvements to the Brigade’s performance and the service delivered to communities.”
Walker to lead preparedness and response operations
Mat Walker has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Preparedness & Response.
According to London Fire Brigade, Walker currently serves as Deputy Chief Fire Officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and will begin his new role at LFB on 1 October.
Walker has held the Deputy Chief position since September 2022 and previously worked in service assurance and improvement at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
He joined the Fire and Rescue Service in 2003 and has served in South Yorkshire and National Resilience, where he worked as a Command-and-Control advisor.
London Fire Brigade said he contributed to the national response to flooding and other high-profile incidents on the east coast.
Jonathan Smith said: “Mat brings invaluable senior leadership experience from his time serving in North Yorkshire where he has been Deputy Commissioner for the last three years.
“Through that time he has helped to drive improvements across the service, and he brings a wealth of operational expertise across fire, flooding and national resilience.”
Commissioner welcomes both to senior team
London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith welcomed both appointees to their new roles within the brigade’s senior leadership team.
He said: “I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Spencer and Mat as the new Deputy Commissioners at London Fire Brigade.
“I have no doubt that both Spencer and Mat will help the Brigade to continue building on the progress that we have made across the organisation in recent years and I look forward to welcoming them both into their new roles.”
The appointments come as Charlie Pugsley, the outgoing Deputy Commissioner, takes on a new position with the Building Safety Regulator.
London Fire Brigade confirmed that Pugsley has been appointed as interim Chief Executive Officer for the regulator.
Wider context and career backgrounds
According to London Fire Brigade, the appointment process follows wider structural changes at the senior level within the service.
Jonathan Smith was confirmed as Commissioner earlier in 2025, and the new Deputy Commissioner roles complete the updated leadership team.
The brigade explained that Sutcliff and Walker will each oversee a defined portfolio covering both strategic and operational responsibilities.
Walker’s previous experience also includes service in National Resilience, where he worked as a Command-and-Control advisor during major incident response operations.
The new roles form part of the service’s broader efforts to maintain organisational continuity and operational readiness across all areas of fire and rescue delivery.
London Fire Brigade appoints Spencer Sutcliff and Mat Walker as Deputy Commissioners: Summary
London Fire Brigade has appointed Spencer Sutcliff and Mat Walker as Deputy Commissioners.
The appointments follow the confirmation of Jonathan Smith as Commissioner and the departure of Charlie Pugsley.
Sutcliff will lead Prevention, Protection & Policy and began his role on 5 August.
Walker will lead Preparedness & Response and joins the brigade on 1 October.
Sutcliff has served as Assistant Commissioner since 2022 and has 27 years of experience in the brigade.
Walker is currently Deputy Chief Fire Officer in North Yorkshire and has served in multiple fire and rescue services since 2003.
Both appointments were confirmed by London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith.
Pugsley has been appointed interim CEO of the Building Safety Regulator.