Nottingham’s Creative Quarter Company appoints Susan Hallam MBE as its Board Chair

Susan Hallam MBE, founder and CEO of Nottingham-based Hallam Internet, has been appointed as Chair of the Creative Quarter Company Board.

Hallam Internet

The Creative Quarter Company is a company limited by guarantee, jointly-owned, since April 2017, by Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham City Council, each with two Board Directors.

The Creative Quarter Company encourages the growth of Nottingham’s creative economy via the support of creative and digital businesses to start-up, to create high-value jobs, and to grow, and by promoting the Creative Quarter as a great place to live, learn, work and invest (see note below re The Big House).

Susan, an Anglo-American and fan of all things digital, joins the board as the company builds on its success supporting creative and digital start-ups to support more established SMEs and more digital and technology-based businesses – particularly those with potential for significant jobs growth – spreading our impact all the way from the studios of artists and designer-makers to the frontiers of fin-tech and the life-sciences.

Susan says of her appointment:

“Nottingham’s creative economy is performing strongly. It was great that the recent update of CBRE’s UK Creative City rankings saw Nottingham rise from 14th to 9th.

I think we could benefit from having a city-wide creative industries strategy and from our energetic, creative community featuring more strongly in our city promotion story. The Creative Quarter has a key role to play in both and I look forward to making my contribution.

In the New Year I will get out to meet with creative and digital industry colleagues, to hear what they have to say about how best we can work together to grow Nottingham’s creative economy building on its many business success stories.”

Susan takes over as Chair from Craig Chettle, Chief Executive of Nottingham Trent University’s Confetti Media Group. Craig was an original Board Member of the Creative Quarter Company, and has been Chair for the past 3 years, leading the company’s transition from its previous ownership and management to the new Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Trent University partnership.

Craig will remain a Creative Quarter Board Director for Nottingham Trent University alongside Barbara Matthews, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College. College of Art Architecture Design and Humanities, and, for Nottingham City Council, Councillor Jon Collins (the Leader of the Council) and Councillor Nick McDonald.

Conceived as an incubator without walls to power the Nottingham economy, the Creative Quarter has in five years become a catalyst for the city’s economic growth as well as cultivating and nurturing business talent and helping to create hundreds of jobs.

Craig Chettle said of Susan’s appointment:

“It has been a privilege for me to Chair the Creative Quarter Board and I am pleased to be staying on as a Director. I believe Susan Hallam has a range of experience and personal qualities that will be of enormous benefit to the company as it moves firmly into the next phase of its development. Her very relevant success in founding and building Hallam Internet speaks for itself”.

Councillor Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council said:

“The Creative Quarter is a really important part of Nottingham’s economic strategy and the source of many of the new high-value jobs that are being created here. I want to thank Craig Chettle for his sterling work as Chair of the Board, and to welcome the appointment of Susan Hallam, a senior and successful business person, as the new Chair, as a mark of the importance of the Creative Quarter and of its potential to contribute even more to Nottingham’s future economic success.”

Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University said:

“Nottingham Trent University is pleased to be partnering in the work of the Creative Quarter Company. The University is internationally recognised for the breadth and strength of its creative curriculum and our graduates develop careers at the leading edge of professional creative practice across the world.  Alongside our global impact, we are also committed to supporting the development of local creative and digital businesses, which are crucial to the growth and vibrancy of Nottingham’s economy. We’re very pleased to welcome Susan as Chair of the Creative Quarter Company Board and look forward to working with her to move Nottingham’s already vibrant creative economy forwards.“

 

 

Notes

The Creative Quarter Company is based at Sneinton Market the former wholesale fruit and vegetable market that is now home to a range of creative businesses following a refurbishment by Nottingham City Council part financed by the EU.

The Big House

The Big House is an EU supported partnership of six organisations delivering support services to creative and digital entrepreneurs and SMEs across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. As of November 2018, the Creative Quarter Company has enrolled over 600 businesses and entrepreneurs in the Big House programme of workshops, mentoring and networking help.

Additional Creative Quarter Board Directors are:

Mark Chivers – Boots Plc and Director of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone,

Glenn Crocker – CEO, BioCity

Cherry Underwood – CEO, The Renewal Trust

Barry Hayman – Director, Hayman Creative

Wolfgang Buttress – Artist