Susan Deighan reflects on her first year as Chief Executive of Glasgow Life

The innovative work we deliver across our venues, programmes, experiences and events plays a fundamental role in increasing opportunities and prosperity for people living in and visiting Glasgow.

It improves the city’s mental, physical and economic wellbeing; brings diverse communities together; develops our young people; supports our visitor economy; and builds our global reputation.

In the past year we have seen Celtic Connections celebrate 30 years; welcomed record attendances at the World Pipe Band Championships; delighted hundreds of thousands of people at The Burrell Collection; and recorded millions of visits to libraries, museums, concerts and sports arenas while our conventions business is thriving.

These achievements are wonderful and demonstrate that enriching people’s lives is what Glasgow Life does best.

Reflecting on the year just gone leads me to think about the 12 months ahead. In the year that Glasgow is the European Capital of Sport, we are ready to play a lead role in the delivery of the inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in August. Attracting global sporting events of this stature shows our continued confidence on the world stage.

We will also progress our refreshed Vision for Glasgow Libraries; take forward Glasgow’s new Tourism and Visitor Plan to 2030; and continue to develop ambitious, long-term strategies for sport and physical activity; events; community learning; and the city’s cultural sector, working with a mix of partners and key stakeholders locally and nationally.  

You can find out more about our strategic and operational priorities for the next two years in Glasgow Life’s Business Plan for 2023/25, which we published earlier this month. 

I want to thank all my colleagues and the volunteers who work so hard on behalf of the city. I have been reflecting further on my first year as Chief Executive of Glasgow and you can watch a short video here https://vimeo.com/821939079