Rosemary Squire OBE awarded a Damehood in 2018 New Year Honours

UK theatre’s most prominent woman and Joint CEO of Trafalgar Entertainment Group, Rosemary Squire has said she was ‘absolutely delighted’ to receive a Damehood in the 2018 New Year Honours which was awarded for services to theatre and philanthropy.

Squire co-founded the Ambassador Theatre Group with her husband Sir Howard Panter and under their leadership, it went on to become the world’s number one live theatre organisation with 46 venues in Britain, the US and Australia as well as a prolific international producer.

Commenting on the honour, Squire said that she believed it was a ‘tribute to the creativity and resourcefulness of theatre in this country.
I hope that what I’ve been able to achieve will convince young entrepreneurs, particularly women, that they can succeed in this industry – and that it can be a fascinating and rewarding journey.’

She thanked the ‘storytellers and creative teams, the people who make the wheels of the business turn and the supporters who believe so passionately in what we do.’

In 2017, Panter and Squire launched Trafalgar Entertainment Group, after acquiring the flagship Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End and Trafalgar Releasing (formerly Picturehouse Entertainment).  Their new company will create, distribute and live-stream content while owning and operating venues.

Alongside her career in theatre, Squire has made an outstanding contribution to a number of charitable causes, including raising £16m for Great Ormond Street Hospital, leading the campaign to build a new performing arts centre at Nottingham Girls’ High School and serving as co-Chair of Hall for Cornwall, as a member of Arts Council England’s National Council and as the new Chair for Arts Council South West.