Dr Sharon Watson MBE DL
May 2020 appointed CEO and Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Prior to her recent appointment, she was the 7th Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre. During her tenure at PDT, Sharon received a number of awards and accolades: In 2010, she was named as one of the Cultural Leadership Programme’s ‘Women to Watch’, a list of 50 influential women working in arts and culture in the UK. She was awarded The Sue Ryder ‘Yorkshire Women of Achievement in Business Award’ and named ‘Yorkshire Woman of the Year’ in 2016. Acknowledged at the 2017 Northern Power Women Awards as part of the very first ‘Top 50 Power List’ and in 2018 Sharon won the First English Woman’s Award for Arts and Culture and was presented with an Honorary Fellowship by Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
In July 2019 Sharon received an Honorary Doctorate from Leeds Beckett University for her contribution to the arts. Sharon’s recognitions are testament to her continued passion and drive to contribute to the local and national creative industries through the medium of dance. November 2020, Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. In 2021 awarded an MBE in the Queens New Year’s Honours list
Sharon is a recent appointed trustee of Manchester International Festival and remains a trustee of Leeds 2023. She is committed to improving diversity within the arts by supporting the creative voices of women and Black, Asian and ethnic minority artists.