Australian born, Cheryl studied at Bristol University before joining the BBC and working in film production. She founded The Women's Theatre Workshop and produced several plays by international women playwrights. At the same time, she founded Aurora Metro Books and has published 200+ authors over the last 25 years. In 2009 she set up The Virginia Prize for Fiction, which runs biennially to promote emerging women novelists.

As a filmmaker, Cheryl has produced and directed several short films, most recently 'Rock n Roll Island.'