Sue Woodward
Susan is the Creative Media Champion for the City of Manchester responsible for creating and delivery strategic opportunities for the City to grow its digital and creative sector.
She created, built and is the Director of The Sharp Project (www.thesharpproject.co.uk) that is the cities new home for the digital and creative sector. The 200,000 square feet facility houses more than 50 creative companies and four large sound stages that are home to drama production for the BBC, ITV, CH4 and Sky1. She is now building a second centre specialising in Drama production (www.thespaceproject.tv)
She was Managing Director ITV Granada from 2003 to 2008. Her career began as a newspaper journalist working in Liverpool then Fleet Street. She then moved into television and worked for ITV, the BBC, and Channel 4. Whilst Director of Broadcasting for all ITV Granada she was seconded to be the Creative Director for the 2002 Commonwealth Games responsible for content, management and budget of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and all media and marketing campaigns. Susan was awarded the OBE by the Queen for services to Broadcasting, and the Commonwealth Games.
She has served as a Board member of The Manchester Partnership Board for four years, helping deliver on the Local Area Agreement targets for the city.
She chaired the Liverpool City Region Health Is Wealth Commission: set up to examine ways to improve the City regions economic prosperity by identifying ways to improve the health of the people of Merseyside by a stakeholder group that includes, amongst others, the Strategic Health Authority; the University of Liverpool, NWDA, Liverpool and Wirral PCT and Merseyside Police and Fire services. Following the Commission’s report, Susan was appointed as a Director of the University of Liverpool.
In 2003, she was appointed Creative Director for the city of Liverpool and wrote the creative bid for the City of Liverpool which secured the City the title of European Capital of Culture 2008. She established the Capital of Culture delivery company responsible for the delivery of the artistic programme for 2008. She was named Business Woman of the Year Award for the North West of England in 2005 and again in 2013. Susan also sits on the Advisory Board for the Manchester Science Museum, part of the British Science Museum group. Her most recent public appointment is to the Business Support Board of the newly formed Greater Manchester Business Growth Company.
She is married, with one son and lives in Manchester.
Social Media:
Website - thesharpproject.co.uk
Twitter – @sharpproject
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