Alumni Board

Susan Bullock CBE, Class of 1977: President of the OWA

Susan attended Cheadle Hulme School for the Sixth Form, leaving in 1977. She went on to study at Royal Holloway College, University of London, the Royal Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio.

Susan has developed an international career and has received accolades including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s award for best singer in 2009, role of the solo soprano at the 2011 Last Night of the Proms and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014 for services to opera.

Of her most distinctive roles, Wagner’s Brünnhilde has garnered outstanding praise leading Susan to become the first ever soprano to sing four consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera House under Sir Antonio Pappano. Appearances as Richard Strauss’ Elektra have brought her equal international acclaim and collaborations with some of the world’s leading conductors including Fabio Luisi, Semyon Bychkov, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark Elder and Edo de Waart.

Susan has also taken time out of her busy schedule to perform to CHS students and to co-host events for the Old Waconian community. Susan was recognised with our Distinguished Old Waconian Award in 2023.

Amanda Newman (Wardle), Class of 1992: Chair of the Alumni Board and 1990s representative

“Mrs Ellison, my maths teacher always believed in me which resulted in me going on to do a degree in maths & computing. This set me up for my career in tech. My first post-graduate role was at IBM, followed by 21 years at Shell, then Microsoft, and on to my current role at Accenture. I set up The Career Mum, a global community of over 6,000 members to support and empower women, and am also keen to attract more women into tech roles.

My CHS was a home away from home. I was a Boarder and us kids looked after and supported each other. Even though I wasn’t an A* student, I left as a well-rounded individual armed with social skills and a strong network.”