Chief executive

Suzanne Wylie was appointed Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) in August 2023. Having worked across many sectors, and with businesses and politicians throughout Northern Ireland and further afield during her career, Suzanne is relishing her new role with NI Chamber and is keen that NI Chamber plays a significant part in boosting the whole economy.   

Previously she has held significant leadership roles in public services for over 15 years, most recently as the Chief Executive to the Jersey Government, and prior to that, as Chief Executive of Belfast City Council.

In Northern Ireland, Suzanne was instrumental in securing the £1bn Belfast City Region Deal, which is leveraging public and private finance to boost business capability in innovation and technology, as well as enhancing a range of tourism assets.  She also oversaw the delivery of a comprehensive regeneration strategy for Belfast, presenting NI as a place for investment in offices, hotels, visitor attractions, housing and jobs.  

In 2018, Suzanne set up a Growth Commission, chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, which set out a focused approach for economic growth and she led on the development of the Belfast-Dublin Economic Corridor for sectoral cluster growth.  She is a strong advocate for business innovation and for several years, chaired Innovation City Belfast to create an environment where entrepreneurship can thrive.

She was awarded an OBE, received an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast earlier this summer, where she also completed her MBA, and is a fellow of the Institute of Directors.         

Suzanne is married with three grown-up children, enjoys cycling, walking and travelling.