Deirdre Ferguson

Background

About Deirdre Ferguson

Deirdre's career spans private, public and community sectors. Following her studies in modern languages at Queens University Belfast, she worked in the export marketing department at Norbrook Laboratories and combined her full time role with teaching evening classes in Italian and Spanish. This ignited her interest in training and development and she went on to develop her career in this field, taking up senior posts at Quest IteC, Springvale Training and the Upper Springfield Development Trust (USDT). In the quality of her work in training management, design and delivery was recognised when the USDT won the UK National Training Awards at local, regional and national levels as well as winning the coveted UK 'special' category award. Deirdre moved to Kent in where she helped establish Thanet Community Development Trust and worked as Operations Director until 2004. She was then appointed Neighbourhood Manager of one of the first UK Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders. In both roles she was responsible for community development and regeneration and her work was hailed as a successful model for multi-agency working in areas of multiple deprivation. Deirdre returned to Belfast in 2008 and took up a post within Belfast City Council's International and European Unit. She played a key role in establishing the City Innovation Office where she currently works as Programme Lead. Her work has informed the development of the city's Urban Innovation Framework which promotes inclusive innovation for the development of advanced urban services in support of the city strategy, the 'Belfast Agenda'.