Sue Keogh

Sue Keogh is a recognised specialist in communications whose career has spanned radio, print, digital, TV, and social media, working closely with the BBC, ITV, University of Cambridge and Government Digital Service, and leading a highly successful digital marketing agency for 16 years.

A fellow of the RSA, host of the Communication Untangled podcast and a judge at the National Business Women’s Awards, Sue draws on extensive industry and business experience to support senior leadership teams in solving critical communications challenges now, and in the future.

Full biography

Sue started her career in radio, joining independent radio production company Smooth Operations and helping to produce specialist music content documentaries, series and live events for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4, before becoming editor of the BBC Country website and managing forums for Soaps.

She became Project Manager for ITV.com, overseeing content for flagship programmes including Coronation Street, Pop Idol, Emmerdale and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, then website editor for Heat magazine and Magic FM.

As a freelance homepage editor for Yahoo! and AOL she produced entertainment, sports and breaking news content about Big Brother, the World Cup, and the London 7/7 bombings.

In 2008, Sue founded digital marketing agency Sookio, working with ambitious and transformative organisations to help them communicate their message to the world through brilliant strategy, content and training.

See case studies with the University of Cambridge Museums, Alzheimer’s Society, Techfugees, NHS, Cambridge Trust and District Councils which showcase some of the work of which the agency is most proud - helping stop the spread of covid, getting people back into museums, and boosting high street recovery.

Known for her plain-talking, fun approach to digital, Sue is always beating the drum for quality, accessible content, and her Skillshare courses, webinars and in-person training have given thousands of people valuable new skills in digital marketing.

As host of the Communication Untangled podcast Sue explores the minutiae of communications - signs, menu design, colour psychology - which she’s found fascinating her whole career.

With an ethos of ‘lift as we climb’, Sue developed work experience initiatives including Agency Bootcamp, mentoring partnerships with Anglia Ruskin University, and the Long Road Sixth Form Marketing Challenge which have supported hundreds of people in getting insights into marketing and communications and a leg up into the industry.

She helped homelessness initiative It Takes A City when it was first getting off the ground in Cambridge, helped run CamCreatives in the early years and set up sister group, Creative Ely. She was on the board at Cambridge 105 Radio for 2.5 years from 2019.

Sue’s instinctively positive style of leadership led to a supportive company culture and helped the business stay resilient through challenges like a pandemic, a recession, and a fire that nearly destroyed the building.

Pivoting the business from an agency model to consultancy gives Sue the opportunity to really focus, drawing on a wealth of industry experience to give senior leaders an external perspective and clarity in their communications right now, and in the future.

Awards

• Judge at the National Business Women’s Awards since 2020

• Finalist, Digital Communications Business Owner, British Business Awards 2019

• Finalist three times in the Best Business Women Awards for Marketing & PR

• Silver, Business Person of the Year in the SME Cambs Business Awards 2020

• Silver, Business Person of the Year and Gold for Sookio for Service Excellence in the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2022 (pictured)

• Medals! Sue has also raised funds for Motor Neurone Disease Association through various 10k running events, and Arthur Rank Hospice Charity when she ran the London Marathon in 2017.

Education

Sue has a BA (Hons) in Communication Studies with Spanish from Anglia Ruskin University, and graduated from the University of Leicester’s School of Business Help to Grow: Management scheme.