# Sue Douglas

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British journalist and media executive (born 1957)

For other people with similar names, see [Susan Douglas](/source/Susan_Douglas_(disambiguation)).

Sue Douglas Born Susan Margaret Douglas (1957-01-29) 29 January 1957 (age 69) London, England Alma mater University of Southampton Spouse Niall Ferguson ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2011)​ Children 3

**Susan Margaret Douglas** (born 29 January 1957) is a British media executive and former [newspaper editor](/source/Newspaper_editor).

## Early life

Born in London, she was educated at [Tiffin Girls' School](/source/Tiffin_Girls'_School) in Kingston.[1] After graduating with a first-class Honours degree[2] in physiology and biochemistry from [Southampton University](/source/University_of_Southampton),[3] she began her career in 1978 with management consultants [Andersen Consulting](/source/Andersen_Consulting).[1] She then became a [medical journalist](/source/Medical_journalist) with [Haymarket Publishing](/source/Haymarket_Publishing). In South Africa (1979–81) she worked for the South African *Sunday Express* and *[The Rand Daily Mail](/source/The_Rand_Daily_Mail)*.

## Career

Returning to Britain in 1981, she began writing for the *[Daily Mail](/source/Daily_Mail)* and *[News of the World](/source/News_of_the_World)*, and in 1982 she joined the *[Mail on Sunday](/source/Mail_on_Sunday)*. Initially a medical correspondent, she was promoted to [associate editor](/source/Associate_editor) of the newspaper, then assistant editor of the *Daily Mail* in 1987.[1] Joining *[The Sunday Times](/source/The_Sunday_Times)* in 1991, she became deputy editor. Douglas launched the newspaper's Style & Culture sections, relaunched *The Sunday Times* magazine, ran the Insight investigative team and introduced many writers and columnists including [Julie Burchill](/source/Julie_Burchill), [Jeremy Clarkson](/source/Jeremy_Clarkson), [Taki](/source/Taki_Theodoracopulos), [Melvyn Bragg](/source/Melvyn_Bragg) and her then-husband, historian [Niall Ferguson](/source/Niall_Ferguson).

At the beginning of 1996, she took up her appointment as editor of the *[Sunday Express](/source/Sunday_Express)*,[2] then owned by [Lord Stevens](/source/David_Stevens%2C_Baron_Stevens_of_Ludgate). Just under two years later, [Clive Hollick](/source/Clive_Hollick%2C_Baron_Hollick) bought the Express group and rolled the Sunday into the Daily title, rendering all Sunday Express journalists redundant.

Douglas was chosen by former *Sunday Times* superior [Andrew Neil](/source/Andrew_Neil) to assist in relaunching *[The Scotsman](/source/The_Scotsman)*, *Scotland on Sunday* and the *Edinburgh Evening News*. At the same time, she diversified into magazine publishing, working on the US launch of men's magazine *[Gear](/source/Gear)*, then the UK websites Vogue.com, Traveller.co.uk and after she helped launch the new title, *[Glamour](/source/Glamour_(magazine))*, in the UK, she ran the contract publishing division of [Condé Nast](/source/Cond%C3%A9_Nast_Publications), with titles such as *tate*, *Trader*, *Mandarin Oriental*, *Harrods* and the Post office magazine. *Glamour* was one of the most successful magazine launches ever, and Douglas, as President of New Business with Condé Nast, became a director.

## Later career

After recovering from a severe horse-riding accident which led to a brain haemorrhage,[4] she became a freelance executive. In 2008, she joined literary agency PFD as a director, and engineered the management buyout by Andrew Neil. The acquisition ultimately led to Douglas being forced to leave. Consultancy deals with HarperCollins, Future publishing and television company, Luxe.tv and Lingospot followed.[5]

Douglas, as part of a consortium, was reported in January 2013 to have been in talks with [Trinity Mirror](/source/Trinity_Mirror) to purchase a majority stake in the *[Sunday People](/source/Sunday_People)* and rebrand it as *The News of the People* (Douglas had attempted to buy the *[News of the World](/source/News_of_the_World)* after its closure).[6][7] In May 2013, these plans were reported to have been dropped, although Phoenix Ventures, her company, remained in talks about other collaborations.[8]

Early in the following month it emerged that she was to head a wholly owned subsidiary of Trinity Mirror called Sunday Brands. The leading publication would be the *Sunday People*, with other titles from the group, but these would not include the *Sunday Mirror*.[9] The Sunday Brands was soon dropped, with Douglas' role changing to offering a digital version of the *Sunday People*. In the end, the new website, launched in November 2013, did not meet Trinity Mirror's financial targets and closed in January 2014 when Douglas left the company.[10]

## Personal life

Douglas married historian [Niall Ferguson](/source/Niall_Ferguson) in 1994.[11] They separated in 2010, and divorced in 2011.[12] They have three children together.[11]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Griffiths_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Griffiths_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Griffiths_1-2) [Dennis Griffiths](/source/Dennis_Griffiths) (ed.) *The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1422–1992*, London and Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992, p.207

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fowler_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fowler_2-1) Rebecca Fowler ["Is hers the toughest job in Fleet Street?"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/is-hers-the-toughest-job-in-fleet-street-1317574.html), *The Independent*, 6 February 1996

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Sue Douglas"](http://www.ashacentre.org/index.php/about/inspirational-women/item/579-sue-douglas), The Asha Centre

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["'I set out on a beautiful day to ride my horse. It nearly cost me my life'"](http://www.scotsman.com/news/i-set-out-on-a-beautiful-day-to-ride-my-horse-it-nearly-cost-me-my-life-1-680304), *The Scotsman*, 5 February 2007

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Sophie Morris, "[Sue Douglas: My Life In Media](https://web.archive.org/web/20100214161115/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/sue-douglas-my-life-in-media-501895.html)", 8 August 2005

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Sweney, Mark (10 January 2013). ["Sue Douglas in talks to pay up to £10m for majority stake in Sunday People"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/10/sue-douglas-stake-sunday-people). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Rushton, Katherine (10 January 2013). ["Sue Douglas in talks to take over Sunday People from Trinity Mirror"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/9794252/Sue-Douglas-in-talks-to-take-over-Sunday-People-from-Trinity-Mirror.html). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0307-1235](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0307-1235) – via telegraph.co.uk.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Sweney, Mark (10 May 2013). ["Sunday People bid shelved by Phoenix Ventures"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/may/10/sunday-people-bid-phoenix-ventures). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 20 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Mark Sweney ["Sue Douglas to head Trinity Mirror subsidiary, including Sunday People"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jun/03/sue-douglas-trinity-mirror-sunday-people?), guardian.co.uk, 3 June 2013

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Sweney, Mark (28 January 2014). ["Sue Douglas leaves Trinity Mirror as People.co.uk closes"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/28/sue-douglas-leaves-trinity-mirror). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-times-20090823_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-times-20090823_11-1) [Lynn, Matthew](/source/Matthew_Lynn) (23 August 2009). ["Professor Paul Krugman at war with Niall Ferguson over inflation"](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/professor-paul-krugman-at-war-with-niall-ferguson-over-inflation-dldb3kflfbq). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Niall Ferguson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/niall-ferguson-and-ayaan-hirsi-ali-1909439.html). *The Independent*. London. 25 February 2010. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/niall-ferguson-and-ayaan-hirsi-ali-1909439.html) from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2010.

Media offices Preceded by Ivan Fallon Deputy Editor of the Sunday Times 1995 Succeeded by Martin Ivens Preceded by Brian Hitchen Editor of the Sunday Express 1995–1996 Succeeded by Richard Addis

v t e Express newspapers Daily Express editors 1900: Arthur Pearson 1901: Fletcher Robinson 1909: R. D. Blumenfeld 1929: Beverley Baxter 1933: Arthur Christiansen 1957: Edward Pickering 1961: Bob Edwards 1962: Roger Wood 1963: Bob Edwards 1965: Derek Marks 1971: Ian McColl 1974: Alastair Burnet 1976: Roy Wright 1977: Derek Jameson 1980: Arthur Firth 1981: Christopher Ward 1983: Larry Lamb 1986: Nicholas Lloyd 1995: Richard Addis 1998: Rosie Boycott 2001: Chris Williams 2003: Peter Hill 2011: Hugh Whittow 2018: Gary Jones Sunday Express editors 1920: James Douglas 1928: James Douglas and John Gordon 1931: John Gordon 1952: Harold Keeble 1954: John Junor 1986: Robin Esser 1989: Robin Morgan 1991: Eve Pollard 1994: Brian Hitchen 1995: Sue Douglas 1996: Richard Addis 1998: Amanda Platell 1999: Michael Pilgrim 2001: Martin Townsend 2018: Michael Booker Other topics Daily Express Building, London Daily Express Building, Manchester James Bond comic strip Northern & Shell Richard Desmond Rupert Bear Sunday Express Dunblane controversy The Sunday Express Book of the Year

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sue Douglas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Douglas) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Douglas?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.