Sue Black should come with a health warning. You CANNOT say “No” to this woman! She’s very well respected in both the academic and social media world but I know her as an extremely effective and articulate campaigner. In recent years she’s done brilliant work on behalf of Bletchley Park – harnessing the power of contemporary geeks and technology to raise awarenesss of neglected veterans and buildings and helping to secure considerable funding.
She’s also a been a consistent voice in the effort to support and encourage women working in ICT. Energetic,knowledgeable and genuine, she’s used to being on the winning team.
Maggie Philbin, Reporter, ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ at BBC Technology reporter/ CEO TeenTech / Leader UK Digital TaskForce / President IED
Sue is a phenomenon: she brings to life social media and IT by injecting creativity mixed with commonsense. Sue is great fun – and she is driven by a strong set of values and uses her strengths to make a difference in the world. I first came across her work when I researched good practice in collaboration. She had an electric effect in transforming the campaign to ave Bletchley Park by increasing media and public awareness. Her combination of character, technical competence and commitment makes her an invaluable colleague and inspiring leader.
Lucian J. Hudson, Director of Communications, The Open University; Top practitioner in cross-sector collaboration
I first encountered Sue as part of the Bletchley Park fundraising project team at Google. Based on that hugely positive experience, we’re now extending our collaboration to other issues where we share a common interest (eg: supporting computer science education). Sue is a delight to work with, full of enthusiasm, extremely knowledgeable and well connected in the computer science field, and a passionate campaigner for issues she cares about. I’m so glad our paths crossed, she’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve met in a long time.
Lynette Webb, Senior Manager, External Relations at Google
Sue is a highly dynamic and creative academic with a broad vision for the subject of software engineering. I have been most impressed with both her organisational ability and her grasp of the key research issues in our subject. I have sought advice from Sue on a range of academic management issues and have gained substantially from her insights and understanding of the challenges of leadership.
Anthony Finkelstein, Dean of Engineering Sciences at University College London
Sue Black is one of the most dynamic individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with in my Higher Education Career. She is a caring, empathetic leader who is able to motivate and inspire her colleagues. She has made a real difference wherever she has worked and has provided a long, lasting and positive impact on those she has engaged with. Sue is a dedicated professional and comes highly recommended.
Gavin Butler, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at Buckinghamshire New University
Sue has shown brilliant initiative, patience, zest and intelligent awareness of our parents and pupils in helping work towards improving the IT skills of our mothers here at Bishop Challoner. The parents have appreciated her calm manner and insightful way of looking at the world in a new way. Sue has brought such confidence and inspiration to our school.
Nicholas Soar, Head of Bishop Challoner Catholic Girls’ School
Sue is an excellent motivator and strong supporter of her colleagues and both manager and co-worker. She has tremendous abilities to build successful teams and to quickly identify strengths and to work out how they complement on another. She has a very wide breadth of experience and expertise in computing and also in higher education management.
Mark Harman, Professor of Software Engineering at University College London
Sue and I have worked together on a number of projects relating to Alan Turing, his work at Bletchley Park and his research legacy. Sue has been a fantastic collaborator, knowledgable, enthusiastic, and full of creative ideas.
Barry Cooper, President, Computability in Europe; Chair, Turing Centenary Advisory Committee
Sue is one of those all-too-hard-to-find academics with a knowledge of information technology who understand the application of technology in the ‘real world’. Her outreach into the technology media, blogosphere, and corporate world – and her impressive work on Bletchley Park – shows an impressive ability to think beyond the research alone. She is a wonderful speaker and a great person to have around… a pleasure to work with!
Mark Hillary, Writer and blogger focused on tech, culture, globalisation, and #custexp
Dr Black is possibly one of the most prolifically dynamic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Her acumen is staggering and her enthusiasm for not just new technologies but the systems, theories and code behind them is not only charismatic but coerces the similar in those around her. Sue is an outstanding networker, lends gravitas to all that she does and is an inspiration to all. She has tirelessly promoted and given her time to Bletchley Park, a place I briefly knew well and is a grounded evangelist of Social Media. “Young hearted, advanced mind” simply does not come close to describing whom this well grounded lady is and what she has achieved, continues to achieve – or support through her work activities and as Founder of the BCS Women’s Group
Simon Wilshire, Social Media, IT/Telecom system/Infrastructure design and Implementation specialist. Author
Sue is enthusiastic in everything she does. She’s a great inspiration to people (not only women) showing what you can achieve through determination and hard work. And she’s a really lovely person too 🙂
Mikhaila Burgess, Senior Lecturer, University of South Wales
Sue is an energetic enthusiast, with a way of making things happen; a great role model on how to do it all, with a vast wealth of knowledge and skill that she will use to help anyone. A strong team player, she is a warm and lovely person.
Fran Paterson, Business Relationship Manager at Cambridge University Press
Sue has been a great inspiration as the founder of a specialist group for women members of the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT. She has championed the need for such a group and for access by those women not currently in a role possibly due to a career break as a source of community and support for them. The group has members around the world brought together as women technologists at all levels and differing roles. Sue has many worthy causes now in addition and she is a great energiser even in handing over the reigns to colleagues to continue developing BCSWomen.
Jill Dann, FBCS CITP, Business Transformation Coach | Helping leaders reach their full potential
Sue’s drive and enthusiasm were key to ensuring that the BCSWomen group rapidly became a vibrant specialist group. She gathered together committed and able people to lay the foundations of the more formal organisation and encouraged this committee to try new things that would give real support and service to its members.
Carol Long CEng FBCS CITP, Professional Services Manager at Advanced Computer Software Group Plc
Sue is an inspired and driven leader and friend to all within the group. BCSWomen provides a haven for some and a great networking opportunity for many.
Jo Komisarczuk, Owner at LogicBird Ltd
As Chair of BCSWomen, Sue has built the group up to being one of the most thriving British Computer Society Specialist Groups, providing networking support for women working in IT.
Jonathan Bowen, Professor of Computer Science at Birmingham City University
Sue is an inspirational to ladies either working in or thinking of working in computing. She was responsible for establishing and chairing the BCSWomen Specialist Group to act as a support for all women members of be BCS. This provides a self-help network, both on professional and technical issues for ladies, including those on career breaks. Sue is very active in encouraging girls to consider a career in IT. She has been on many national committees, including the Council of the BCS. In addition Sue organised an audio visual recording of the experiences of the computing work of the women at Bletchley Park during World War Two, she was responsible for raising the awareness and gaining support needed for Bletchley Park. Sue is an exemplary role model to all women in IT. The tremendous amount of work that Sue has undertaken over the years was recognised by the BCS when she was the first person to be given the prestigious John Ivinson Award.
Margaret Ross, Professor at Southampton Solent University
Sue is one of the most dynamic and proactive people I have ever met. She always inspires great enthusiasm from colleagues. She has made a significant contribution as a volunteer for BCS, particularly for council and BCSWomen, alongside many other voluntary activities, her busy ‘day-job’ and family commitments. I have no hesitation in recommending her.
Maggie Kneller, Trustee at BCS
Sue is an incredibly inspirational woman with staggering energy and drive and a remarkable ability to spur others into action for the causes for which she feels passionately. Sue has had an astonishing impact on raising the profile of the importance of Bletchley Park and the urgent need for funding. It is an absolute honour and pleasure to know and work with her and the Bletchley Park Trust owe her a debt of gratitude.
Kelsey Griffin, Director of Museum Operations at Bletchley Park Trust
Sue is a very active and effective ambassador for the University of Westminster and its Information and Software Systems Department. She is well known in the IT Profession as an academic with an unusually wide and effective range of interests including leading initiatives in BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, on Women’s position in the IT profession, on inspiring children to follow careers in IT and on promoting recognition for the computing pioneers at Bletchley Park
Stephen Darvill, Retired
I had the privilege of working as a Senior Business Analyst within the same organisation as Sue Black at London South Bank University where she was not only Supervisor for my Bachelor’s Degree Project Dissertation in my days there as a student but also my IT Lecturer and a strong confidant, now a good Family friend. Sue is a great role model and a Champion in sso many ways and I recommend her with great pleasure
Theo Quarcoo, Organisational Change (prosci®), Project/Service Delivery and Stakeholder Management
Dr.Sue Black was my Lecturer and Senior Computing Academic at South Bank University. She has been a perfect role model for me and I am grateful for having her as one of my contact.
Salman Khan, Security Operations Officer
Dr Sue Black 