Rachel McQueen

Rachel was appointed to the role of Chief Executive in April 2018, having previously held the roles of Director of Tourism at Marketing Cheshire and Director of Marketing and Deputy CEO at Marketing Manchester. She leads a skilled team of 12 people responsible for the promotion of Lancashire as a leading business, leisure and learning destination; focused on attracting visitors and investors, growing a highly skilled workforce and driving sustainable economic growth.

During her time in Manchester she delivered the transformational ‘I love MCR’ campaign and worked on stakeholder initiatives across the city, greatly increasing the profile of the city region and helping to boost investment and trade links as well as increasing international visitors. Working alongside Manchester Airports Group to deliver a number of high profile delegations to China, Rachel was a key part of the team that successfully secured direct flights from Manchester to Beijing in 2015.

In Lancashire, Rachel has focused on generating stakeholder awareness and understanding of the importance of collaborative place promotion, working with public and private sector partners to increase the profile of the county and its position within the Northern Powerhouse. She played an integral part in the decision for Lancashire to bid for UK City of Culture 2025 at a county-wide scale, and led the development of the #RedefiningLancashire campaign in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. She is a passionate advocate for Lancashire and the amazing diversity that the county offers.

Born in Northern Ireland, Rachel grew up in London and moved to Manchester for university. She has made her home in the North West, where she lives with her Bolton-born husband and young daughter.