Comber’s Suzanne new High Sheriff of Co Down

Comber’s Suzanne new High Sheriff of Co Down

31 January 2024

A COMBER woman has been appointed as the new High Sheriff of Co Down.

Ms Suzanne Wild, who succeeds Professor Mike Mawhinney, was appointed during a ceremony at Montalto House in Ballynahinch on Thursday.

The ceremony was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of County Down, Mr Gawn Rowan-Hamilton, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of County Down, Mrs Catherine Champion, Peter Mackie, chairman of the High Sheriffs’ Association of Northern Ireland, former sheriffs and representatives from four district councils.

Ms Wild, who is married to Dr Jim Morrow, was educated in Belfast and went on to complete a BA in Hotel Management and an MA in Marketing in Glasgow and London.

A management career in hospitality and tourism in Scotland and England followed before taking the opportunity to develop and share her skills as a senior lecturer and course director on BA and MSc programmes in marketing and tourism.

She was a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a Member of the Institute of Marketing. She has been involved in curriculum development at universities in Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.

She has over 18 years of experience as a consultant in tourism and management development through the British Council and EU in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She returned to Co Down in 2004 and accepted a part-time teaching post in Newry, delivering modules for Ulster University.

Following her retirement from teaching she became an accredited volunteer and fundraiser for Epilepsy Action NI, delivering training courses and presentations in Northern Ireland on behalf of the charity.

Ms Wild said she was “very honoured” to accept the oldest secular office in the UK, being the sovereign’s judicial representative in the county.

She also said she was looking forward to fulfilling her duties with the judiciary and working with all the councils and the Lord Lieutenant on community projects and promoting Co Down.