Spotlight On... Susannah Morley, Director British Council Hong Kong
Interview

Spotlight On... Susannah Morley, Director British Council Hong Kong

Today we shine the spotlight on Susannah Morley, Director at British Council in Hong Kong. Eight years at the organisation and with causes she holds dear to her heart, Susannah shares with Telum what keeps her in arts and cultural relations and how her comms background completes this equation.

By way of introduction
I’ve worked for the British Council in Hong Kong for the past eight years. Communications is at the heart of our cultural relations mission which is all about building trust and mutual understanding between people through access to the arts, education and the English language. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in partnership development roles at the British Council and in the British and Australian higher education sectors. Before that, armed with a master’s in PR and comms, I worked in various comms and PR roles.

First job
Assistant Editor at a children’s non-fiction publishing house in London. I loved it - it was a wonderfully creative environment to work in, but later with my master’s in communications, I left to pursue a career in PR!

Schedule of a typical workday
I don’t really have a typical workday which is what I love about the job. In the morning, I might meet a senior stakeholder from the education or business sector, while in the afternoon, I could be sorting out an administrative or HR-related problem or developing a new project proposal.

Your favourite city to live / work in
Hong Kong - of course!

Essential daily reading
I try to read widely, but SCMP, The Times, The Guardian and The Economist are my daily go-to printed news sources. I top these up with a graze of the BBC and CNN news apps.

What keeps you going in education and cultural relations
Knowing that providing young people with access to arts and culture, education and English helps to unlock their potential by giving them the skills, confidence and connections that can transform their lives.

Causes you care about
There are many! One in particular is climate and the environment. Prior to COP26, the British Council ran The Climate Connection exploring the role that arts and culture, education and English play in setting up the next generation to address and build resilience to the impact of climate change.

I am also a passionate advocate for gender equality, a theme that runs through all our work at the British Council. I know from my own experiences that it is a battle far from won. As a mother of two teenage daughters, I hope that in my lifetime, I will see lasting and systemic change in attitudes towards women and true equality when it comes to female empowerment and opportunities.

Most applicable skill to your new role
To be able to communicate clearly and to listen.

Your proudest achievement 
Aside from my children, I am proud of being appointed Director of the British Council in Hong Kong. I am only the second woman in the organisation’s 74-year history in Hong Kong to hold the post. Becoming a leader has been a slow burn for me - like many women, I worked part-time when my children were young, and I think that slowed career my progression a little. But during that time, I learned a lot about myself - not least how to juggle priorities. I became more focused on what I wanted from my career and how to go about achieving it.

More stories


Telum Media

Database

Get in touch to hear more

Request demo

Telum Media

Alerts

Regular email alerts featuring the latest news and moves from the media industry across Asia Pacific Enjoy exclusive daily interviews with senior journalists and PRs as well as in-house editorial and features from the Telum team

Subscribe for alerts