Glasgow - city of art and culture
We are delighted to welcome the Chief Executive, Dr Bridget McConnell CBE of Glasgow Life - who has been tasked with making the city a must-go cultural destination - at Future Cities Forum in January 2018.
Bridget leads a staff of 2,600, with an annual budget c. £113 million, helping to transform lives through cultural, sporting and learning activity. Glasgow Life is a charity, which delivers services on behalf of Glasgow City Council.
Joining the City Council in 1998 from senior positions in culture and sport in Stirling and Fife, her career highlights have included the £35 million refurbishment of one of Scotland’s leading attractions, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the opening of the £74 million Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum which was named European Museum of the Year in 2013 and the opening of the £113 million Emirates Arena, incorporating the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Bridget is the city lead ensuring Glasgow is a Vibrant City and a world-leader in sport and culture: examples being Glasgow’s ambitious plans for a full refurbishment and redisplay of the Burrell Collection and redevelopment of the Kelvin Hall as a major international cultural venue.
Bridget was instrumental in Glasgow bidding to host and implement the Commonwealth Games and was a member of the Organising Committee (Glasgow 2014 Ltd), Director of Ceremonies and Culture, overseeing the delivery of much of the required sport and cultural infrastructure. She is fulfilling a similar role in the inaugural European Sports Championships to be held in Glasgow and Berlin in 2018.
Bridget also leads Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, the city’s destination marketing organisation and custodians of the city’s award-winning PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW brand.
Having served on numerous national committees and boards including the Scottish Arts Lobby (Vice Chair), Heritage Lottery Fund for Scotland and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Vice Chair), Bridget is currently a board member of the Public Catalogue Foundation (Art UK) and Arts and Business Scotland.
A graduate of St Andrews and Stirling Universities where she gained an MA (Hons) in Fine Arts, Diploma in Industrial Admin; M Ed and Doctor of Education, Bridget is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Universities of St Andrews, Aberdeen, Glasgow and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She was awarded the CBE in the 2015 New Year Honours List for services to culture.