Susan Johnson OBE
Biography
Susan Johnson OBE was the Chief Executive at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service until her retirement in July 2015. The appointment meant Susan was the first woman and non-uniformed chief executive to lead a Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom.
Susan previously held the position of Executive Director Business Development for the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, where she was responsible for securing inward investment and supporting international trade, business start-up and innovation in partnership with the region’s universities and research institutes. During her early career Susan worked in general management and business development roles in information technology, systems engineering and advanced control systems technologies. She has held a number of non-executive roles throughout her career including Greggs plc, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Planning Inspectorate. She is currently a non-Executive Director with the Health and Safety Executive, a Commissioner for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England and a Protector for the Power to Change Trust.
Susan holds a first-class honours degree in Business Studies and an MBA from Durham University. Susan was awarded an OBE for services to New Deal in the Northeast in 2000 and an Honorary Fellowship of the University of Sunderland in recognition of her services to businesses in the region.