public affairs agenda
Leading women Suzanne Wylie Former Belfast City Council Chief Executive and now CEO of the Government of Jersey, Suzanne Wylie, talks to David Whelan about her challenging new role, the importance of supporting female leaders and her formative years in Northern Ireland’s largest city. As one of Northern Ireland’s most powerful public servants, up until very recently, Suzanne Wylie recognises that she is one of a select few women bucking the trend of gender inequality in senior leadership roles across the public sector. Undoubtedly, she says, things are changing, as she offers examples of the recent appointment of Jayne Brady as the new Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and the role of Grainia Long at the helm of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. However, work must continue to enhance diversity across public life if decision-making is to deliver better outcomes for the whole of the population, she believes.
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public affairs agenda
In 2014, Wylie became Belfast City Council’s first female Chief Executive, later in February 2022, she took up post as the Government of Jersey’s first female Chief Executive. In doing so, she possesses a self-awareness of the influence senior female leaders like herself can have on the aspirations of others. “Given that we do not have enough women in public life, I think every woman in a position of leadership should see themselves as a role model,” she states. “We all need to be thinking about how we can use our experience to help those who aspire to become leaders across all walks of life and how they can be supported to see what that looks and feels like.”
