Navigate through the tabs above to read biographies for all of our confirmed speakers, panellists, and workshop facilitators for Heritage Day 2024.
| Peter Aiers OBE | Roy Clare CBE | Dr Chandan Mahal | Alasdair Redwood |
| Christabel Austen | Lydia Gibson | Lord Tom McNally | Dr Ingrid Samuel OBE |
| Chris Baines | Reverend Giles Goddard | Lord Neil Mendoza CBE | Dr Jessica Stitt ACR |
| Danny Bennett | Lizzie Glithero-West | Steven Mifsud MBE | Kate Streeter |
| Tom Bilson | William Heath | Karis Morris-Brown | Jemica Taylor |
| Dr Dominique Bouchard | Moe Horikawa | Philip Nelson | Baroness Thornton |
| James Butcher | Delphine Jasmin-Belisle | Steven Oates | Abigail Tripp |
| Robin Cantrill-Fenwick | Ros Kerslake CBE | Ellie Oliver | Ben Tucker |
| Lara Carmona | George Knight | Lord Stephen Parkinson (Heritage Minister) | Lord Ed Vaizey |
| Flo Carr | Adala Leeson | James Probert | Jan Wills |
| Laura Carter | Gareth Maeer | Alice Purkiss | |
Peter Aiers OBE
Master and Chief Executive, The Charterhouse
Peter became Master and Chief Executive of the Charterhouse in 2017, after serving as Chief Executive of the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) since 2007. In addition to serving as a trustee of the Heritage Alliance, he is also currently a trustee of Goodwill Solutions CIO, and a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
With an extensive background in historic building conservation, Peter has a particular interest in how historic buildings serve contemporary society. At the CCT, he established the Regeneration Team, whose role was to find sustainable solutions to complex urban churches within its collection and to enable more community involvement in the care of its sites.
Christabel Austen
Head of Heritage Sponsorship and Engagement, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Christabel has been in post as Head of Heritage Sponsorship and Engagement at DCMS since November 2023. She joined DCMS in 2019, and has delivered a number of programmes across Arts and Culture since them. She led the reopening of performing arts venues during the Covid pandemic, working across government and the sector to ensure venues could reopen safely and sustainability. From June 2021, she was Head of Office for the Commissioner for Culture, Lord Mendoza, supporting the recovery and renewal of the cultural sector and leading on several sector resilience workstreams.
Prior to joining the Civil Service Christabel worked on Local Government frontline services as a library manager and Registrar of Births and Deaths. She holds an MA in Celtic Archaeology.
Chris Baines
Environmentalist, Writer, Broadcaster and Advisor
Chris Baines is one of the UK’s leading independent environmentalists. He is an award-winning writer and broadcaster and was one of the original presenters of BBC Countryfile. He has received lifetime awards from the RSPB and the British Naturalists’ Association, and honorary fellowship from the Chartered Institute for Water and Environmental Management. Chris has always worked across the public, private and voluntary sectors as a partnership broker. He has long-standing clients in the water, minerals, housebuilding, ethical investment and energy industries. He also advises both central and local government. He has served as a trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Lottery, and since 2014 he has chaired the independent Stakeholder Advisory Group for the National Grid’s Visual Impact Provision programme.
Chris helped to establish the UK’s first urban nature conservation charity in 1979, created the first wildlife garden at Chelsea Flower Show in 1985 and he has been a national vice-president of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts for almost forty years. He is Hon President of the Thames Estuary Partnership, Hon Patron of the Countryside Management Association, a member of the National Trust’s Natural Environment Advisory Board and also serves on the Fabric Advisory Committee of Worcester Cathedral.
Danny Bennett
Managing Director, Farcroft Group
Danny Bennett was appointed Managing Director at Farcroft Group following eight years of service. With a passion for preserving the soul of historical treasures, Danny Bennett stands at the helm of Farcroft Restoration as the Managing Director. Boasting a wealth of expertise in heritage restoration, Danny brings an unwavering commitment to breathing new life into architectural gems, antiques, and fine art.
Danny’s leadership extends beyond Farcroft Restoration, with a passion for heritage advocacy and cultural preservation initiatives. His passion for the past is evident not only in the meticulous restoration projects undertaken by Farcroft but also in his commitment to shaping the broader landscape of heritage conservation.
As a thought leader in the field, Danny contributes his insights to industry forums, ensuring that the art of restoration continues to evolve while respecting the essence of history.
Tom Bilson
Head of Digital Media, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Tom Bilson is Head of Digital Media at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He has led the digitisation of their photographic collections since 2017, to create a publicly accessible archive from the Courtauld’s collection. This including the digitisation of the Conway Library – which resulted in a collection of 1 million images, accomplished entirely with volunteers.
Dr Dominique Bouchard
Head of Learning and Interpretation, English Heritage
Dr Dominique Bouchard is Head of Learning and Interpretation at English Heritage. She is co-editor of the Journal for Education in Museums, Honorary Fellow at the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries of the University of Leicester, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Dominique has a DPhil in Archaeology from the University of Oxford, with a thesis on the reception of the classical past in medieval Italy, and a BA in Mathematics and BS in Applied Physics from Columbia University. Dominique has worked in museums in the UK, Ireland, and Hong Kong and has published widely on difficult histories, divided societies, and museological practice. She has a particular interest in heritage decolonisation.
James Butcher
Director of Strategy and Operations, The National Federation of Builders
James is one of the executive directors at the National Federation of Builders, as well as a member of the UK’s Construction Leadership Council. He is responsible for the NFB’s support to it’s member-led Heritage Group and is committed to ensuring that the heritage sector is properly considered, supported and championed in all building and planning related policies, as well as bringing forward initiatives that help members do business easier – such as the NFB Heritage Approved Contractor Mark. James is also currently leading CITB’s work on developing a heritage sector skills plan, which is due for publication later this year.
Robin Cantrill-Fenwick
Chief Executive, Baker Richards
Robin has specialised in using data and digital systems to transform organisations in numerous sectors over two decades. As Chief Executive of the consultancy and software firm Baker Richards, he works with attractions across the world to equip them to thrive commercially through pricing, segmentation, data analysis, and market research.
Robin is one of the creators of UK Heritage Pulse, the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s UK-wide research panel for leaders working in heritage. He also created the Cultural Enterprises Academy, an Online Learning Environment for people working in revenue-generating functions in culture, heritage, visitor attractions and arts organisations in the UK and Europe.
Lara Carmona
Director of Policy and Engagement, Creative UK
Prior to joining Creative UK, Lara dedicated her career to tackling some of the UK’s most pressing policy and campaign challenges, working for organisations such as Marie Curie, Rethink, and most recently the Royal College of Nursing as Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs. Over decades, Lara has built diverse movements for change to drive major investment into policy solutions, develop national strategies and change laws, securing commitments and action from governments, as well as private and not-for-profit sectors. In 2023, she completed a Masters in Global Political Economy, focusing on labour markets. She lives in south London with her artist husband.
Flo Carr
Associate Director, Indigo Ltd
Flo is an experienced marketer with a passion for audience development and CRM. She has worked in a wide range of marketing, communications and venue management roles in arts and cultural organisations in London and Cambridge. She joined Indigo Ltd full-time in November 2020. Indigo is a consultancy service that aims to empowers the cultural sector to make meaningful change by better understanding and connecting with audiences.
Her previous roles include Head of Communications and Marketing at Arcola Theatre, Marketing & CRM Manager at English National Opera, and Press & Marketing Manager at Cambridge Live.
Laura Carter
Customer Segment Director, Ecclesiastical Insurance
Laura Carter had worked in the insurance industry for almost 20 years and joined Ecclesiastical Insurance in 2017. Laura is responsible for developing and maintaining products and propositions to meet the needs of specialist target markets including heritage. Laura’s interest in heritage began when she attended Royal Holloway University and she is passionate about supporting Ecclesiastical’s heritage customers through insight and thought leadership.
Roy Clare CBE
Trustee, The Heritage Alliance
Outside of his work as a Trustee for the Heritage Alliance, Roy is the inaugural Chair of Chelmsford Cultural Development Trust and on the Board of Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity.
In the past twenty years he has served as: Director, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, England; and Director, Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand.
Roy is passionate about museums, heritage, and the opportunities of the digital era. An advocate for multiple perspectives, he has led initiatives to expand peoples’ understanding of contested histories. He favours work ‘beyond the walls’, encouraging institutions to learn from diverse communities and collaborate empathically with those who might not otherwise participate.
Formerly a Rear Admiral, he commanded the aircraft carrier Invincible. He was for ten years a Trustee of the historic warship Bronington, at that time open to the public in Manchester; and he founded the Britannia Museum of Officer Training within Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. He was made CBE in 2007 ‘for services to museums’ and in 2018 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex.
Lydia Gibson
Head of Policy, The Heritage Alliance
Lydia joined the Heritage Alliance as our Head of Policy in 2023. Her role covers liaising with the membership to promote advocacy priorities and influence policy, including overseeing the delivery of the communications strategy. Previously Lydia, held advocacy and campaigns roles at Historic Houses and the British Academy, as well as working within a Local Planning Authority conservation team. Her wider background in historic event venues, local museums and a variety of voluntary roles within the National Trust has provided insight to the depth and breadth of issues affecting the heritage sector.
Lydia holds an MSc in Social Policy from LSE and an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Oxford, with research interests spanning from Baroque architecture to the national history curriculum. Outside of work, she is a keen painter, climber, and nature spotter around London and the South Coast.
The Reverend Canon Giles Goddard
St John’s Church, Waterloo
Canon Giles Goddard has been Vicar of St John’s since September 2009. He is closely involved in helping the Church of England to be more fully inclusive. He is chair of Faith for the Climate which works to support interfaith work on climate change and is a member of the Church of England’s Environment Working Group. He is also currently undertaking a course on spiritual direction.
His book, “Space for Grace – Creating Inclusive Churches”, was published by Canterbury Press. Previously he worked in social housing and at the John Lewis Partnership. He is in a civil partnership with Shanon Shah.
Lizzie Glithero-West
CEO, The Heritage Alliance
Lizzie Glithero-West has served as Chief Executive of the Heritage Alliance since 2016, bringing over two decades of experience spanning the heritage, culture, and public sectors. As a civil servant, she worked as Private Secretary to Culture Ministers and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). She was also Head of Logistics at DCMS during a General Election, and completed secondments at English Heritage and the National Museum Directors’ Council.
Throughout her career, Lizzie has developed expert knowledge of archaeology, heritage protection, museums, and tourism. She lectures on heritage at Oxford University, and sits on several boards and advisory groups (including the Egypt Exploration Society, Royal Holloway’s Humanities Advisory Board, and the Canal and River Trust’s Cultural Heritage Advisory Group). As Chief Executive, Lizzie brings experience and passion to her leadership of the Heritage Alliance – and to Heritage Day.
William Heath
Co-Chair, Fairfield House
William Heath has experience in tech, public services, market research, digital rights, and local co-operatives covering over a dozen startups. In his own words: “Some worked, others didn’t!”
Whilst living in Bath, he became aware of the unique legacy to the city of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. He has now volunteered for Fairfield House for nearly a decade, and currently chairs the Board of Trustees set up to protect and celebrate His Imperial Majesty’s legacy. Beyond his work at Fairfield House, also helped set up the co-operative that purchased iconic music pub The Bell Inn, owns the landmark Kelston Roundhill, and is co-chair of the Board of Trustees at the employee-owned digital agency Dxw.
Moe Horikawa
Investment Manager, The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Trustee, Historic Building & Places
Moe is a trustee of Historic Buildings & Places and an Investment Manager at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. She holds a MA in International Cultural Heritage Management from Durham University. She has a particular interest in historic buildings forming historic urban landscapes. Moe is originally from Japan.
Delphine Jasmin-Belisle
Head Development and Membership, The Heritage Alliance
Delphine Jasmin-Belisle is the Head Development and Membership for The Heritage Alliance, the advocacy body representing the independent heritage movement in England.
Passionate about the sector’s sustainability, she designed several sector support programmes including Heritage Digital and Rebuilding Heritage supporting over 2,200 UK heritage organisations. In partnership with Timmus Research, she delivered the DASH Survey 2021 which gathered the views over 4,500 heritage staff and volunteers on digital skills and aptitudes.
Delphine is also a trustee of the Maritime Heritage Trust UK, and volunteers for Pets As Therapy and Parkrun. Previously, Delphine worked in site operations, managing a portfolio of English Heritage sites across the Yorkshire Coast and Moors.
Ros Kerslake CBE
Chair, The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF)
Ros Kerslake has more than 30 years experience in heritage regeneration, property, and business. Ros is currently Chair of the Architectural Heritage Fund and Leeds Castle Foundation; a trustee of Re-form Heritage and the University College of Estate Management; a member of the Community and Voluntary Services Honours Advisory Committee; and a group board member of Sanctuary (the Housing and Care Group).
She was Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2016 to 2021, where she led a UK-wide team of 300 staff, responsible for the distribution of up to £400 million per annum. Her earlier roles include serving Chief Executive at The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and RegenCo Sandwell, and Director at Railtrack, Booker PLC, and Gulf Oil (a UK subsidiary of Chevron Corporation).
Her previous non-executive roles include Senior Independent Director and Chair of the RemCom at U+I PLC (a regeneration-based property developer), Quintain Estates and Development PLC, Black Country Housing Association, and Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Ros is a qualified solicitor and holds an MBA. Ros was awarded an OBE in 2015, and a CBE in 2020 for services to heritage. She holds honorary degrees from Keele and Staffordshire Universities.
George Knight
Youth Advisor, Council for British Archaeology
George is a Youth Advisor for the Council for British Archaeology (click here to find out more about CBA Youth Advisory Board). He currently works as a Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Consultant on development and infrastructure schemes across the UK and has had prior experience working as a field archaeologist.
He studied at the University of Ken for both his undergraduate History and postgraduate Medieval and Early Modern Studies degrees, alongside which he voluntarily ran the University’s student publication, garnering awards from the SPA and BBC Radio 4. Whilst studying, he helped curate an online resource repository for digital heritage resources called MEMSLib, for which he still independently curates an archaeology resource page. George also has experience working in both archives and marketing roles – outside of full-time work, he continues to research medieval manuscripts for publication.
Adala Leeson
Head of Socio-Economic Analysis and Evaluation, Historic England
Adala Leeson is head of socio-economic analysis and evaluation at Historic England where she leads a small team of analysts undertaking and commissioning social, economic and environmental research.
The team produces the Heritage Counts publication series which is a compendium of evidence considering the connections between heritage, the economy, society and the environment. Adala is also the Principal Investigator for an AHRC/DCMS funded project developing a taxonomy for culture and heritage and a co-investigator on the AHRC/DCMS funded Caveat project developing economic techniques for culture and heritage valuation. She is a member of the DCMS Culture and Heritage Capital Steering and Working groups.
Prior to joining Historic England, Adala worked as an Associate Economic Consultant for ten years, advising public and private clients on economic development and regeneration programmes. She previously worked in academia as a researcher at the London School of Economics.
Gareth Maeer
Director, Raybel Charters
Gareth Maeer is a founding director of Raybel Charters, a community company established in 2018, with the twin aims of restoring the Thames sailing barge Raybel for community benefit, and re-introducing sail freight to the Thames Estuary. He was formerly Head of Research & Evaluation at the Heritage Fund, from 2004 to 2017, where he commissioned and wrote a series of research publications, including ‘Networked Heritage’ with the Royal Society of Arts. In his words, setting up Raybel Charters was “the chance to put some of that thought into action!”
Dr Chandan Mahal
National Learning and Partnership Manager, The British Library
Dr Chandan Mahal has over twenty years’ experience of working in museums and archives, leading education and community engagement programmes for diverse audiences. She is currently the National Learning and Partnership Manager at the British Library for the Unlocking our Sound Heritage project. She has worked on many gallery and heritage digital projects (Museum of London, The Women's Library, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) and led on interpretation and engagement strategies.
She is a Fellow at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), and has served on the UNESCO Committee for Intangible Heritage. She was also a commissioner for the Greater London Authority’s Mayors Commission on African and Asian Heritage.
The Rt Hon. Lord Tom McNally
Liberal Democrat Peer in the House of Lords
Lord McNally is a member of the Liberal Democrat team for Culture, Media, and Sport in the House of Lords. He was previously a member of the House of Lords Select Committee which investigated the problems facing seaside towns, and recently worked with Baroness Dee Doocey in developing Liberal Democrat policy on tourism.
He is a former MP, and was created a peer in 1996. He resides in St Albans, where he has served in the past on the city’s Museum Committee.
Lord Neil Mendoza CBE
Chair, Historic England
Lord Neil Mendoza (CBE) was appointed Chair of Historic England in August 2023, bringing over a decade of experience in the heritage and culture sectors. Prior to taking on his Historic England role, Lord Mendoza served as the government’s Commissioner for Cultural Recovery & Renewal following the Covid-19 pandemic. He was previously a non-executive board member at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and led the year-long Mendoza Review of Museums in England.
He continues to chair the DCMS Culture and Heritage Capital Board, and serves as Chair for the Illuminated River Foundation and Civic Future. Lord Mendoza has actively shaped the country’s heritage strategy for over a decade, and we are looking forward to hearing his views on the current state of the sector.
Steven Mifsud MBE
Director and Founder, Direct Access Group
Born profoundly deaf and with an acute awareness of disability-related issues, Steven established Direct Access in 2004, building it into the international, award-winning firm it is today. For over twenty years, under his leadership, the company has provided architectural design reviews for both new build and gallery redesigns, and accessibility appraisals to support Lottery and other funding applications.
Steven was an accessibility project lead for several major museum clients, including the Science Museum Group, Horniman Museum and Gardens, and the Royal Armouries. Direct Access also produces tactile maps and models enabling blind and partially sighted individuals to experience a museum’s wonders.
Karis Morris-Brown
Workforce Development Manager, Black Cultural Archives
Karis is the Workforce Development Manager at the Black Cultural Archives. Her passion for workforce development is rooted in her beliefs for equity, nurturing talent, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Karis has led on programmes to support people on their career journey from volunteering to board level, and believes that opportunities can be found at all levels for everyone.
She has worked for Black Cultural Archives since 2017 and most notably leads its workforce development programme Seeing Ourselves: Representation in Heritage and Arts Careers – a project which seeks to create and contribute towards a diverse, representative, healthy arts and heritage sector in the UK.
Philip Nelson
Head of the Heritage & Tourism Policy Working Group, The Green Party
Philip currently heads the working group developing Heritage and Tourism policy for the Green Party.
Originally from Norfolk, with a lifelong passion for heritage, Philip is regularly invited to give talks on his own rich family history from the Norman Conquest to Word War II.
His work within executive search over the past 20 years and as a Trustee has provided him with a unique opportunity to work with and support individuals and organisations working to preserve Britain’s unique and diverse heritage, using heritage as a lever to raise civic pride and to drive economic growth.
Steven Oates
Chief Executive, The Heritage Railway Association
Steve is Chief Executive of the Heritage Railway Association, the UK-wide professional support body for 170 heritage railways and tramways, plus a variety of related museums, rolling stock groups and preservation societies. He promotes and protects the sector’s interests with government, media, and other bodies while providing guidance on safety, heritage, governance, commercial, and environmental matters. He also serves as a trustee of the National Rail Heritage Awards and the National Railway Museum advisory board.
Professionally a chartered surveyor, Steve also has commercial experience from having founded and managed successful radio stations and headed an economic development service for a local authority. He has a lifelong commitment to volunteering, beginning at the age of 13 at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway (IWSR), where he eventually served as chairman for a decade. Today he continues to serve an IWSR trustee – he retrained for footplate duties five years ago, and now regularly volunteers for locomotive firing duties!
Ellie Oliver
Communications Manager, International National Trust Organisation
Ellie joined INTO in October 2022, after working for the National Trust for five and half years in internal communications and visitor experience. Passionate about great stories, language, and a beautiful picture to go with it, Ellie enjoys sharing the news, opportunities, and successes of INTO and its membership.
Lord Stephen Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage
DCMS Lords Minister
Lord Parkinson was appointed as the Minister for Arts and Heritage in February 2023, having previously served as the Arts Minister since September 2021. In his current role, his portfolio includes responsibility for heritage, the arts, libraries, museums, cultural property, cultural diplomacy, and the National Archives.
Lord Parkinson has held various political posts throughout his career, and worked as a thinktank researcher and lobbyist. As a history graduate, he holds a strong commitment to the heritage sector and is enthusiastic about its role in the nation’s economic growth and prosperity. This passion was evident in his previous keynote speech at Heritage Day 2023 (which you can watch here or read here). That speech was Lord Parkinson’s first major address after assuming his current ministerial post, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the conference this year.
James Probert
Director of Development, Historic Houses
James Probert is currently Director of Development at Historic Houses and the editor of Historic House magazine. His previous career in the education sector, started at the global citizenship charity the English-Speaking Union, which he left as Head of Speech and Debate and Deputy Director of Education in 2009. He then pioneered full-time volunteering in the UK as part of the start-up team of school-volunteer charity City Year UK, which he left as Director of Strategy in 2017 to found and lead the Full-Time Social Action Alliance until 2018.
James has been a member of the Independent Monitoring Board of HMP Brixton, a primary school governor, a trustee of Learning Plus UK, chairman of the World Schools Debating Championships, and a committee member of the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust. He is currently chairman of National Debate Team.
Alice Purkiss
Head of Heritage Partnerships, University of Oxford
Alice Purkiss is Head of Heritage Partnerships at the University Oxford and leads a varied programme of research, training, and events in collaboration with heritage partners to promote knowledge exchange and Public Engagement with Research. She leads the university’s flagship National Trust Partnership, co-leads the Oxford University Heritage Network, and co-convenes the Heritage Pathway Graduate Training Programme. From 2016 to 2018, Alice led the Trusted Source Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Oxford’s History Faculty and the National Trust.
Alice is a Clore Emerging Leader (2017 Cohort), an awards judge for the Oxford Preservation Trust, and a visiting lecturer for the Saïd Business School. She has a background in the museum and heritage sector, with experience of working in both major UK museums and small private heritage organisations across research, curatorial, and commercial roles.
Alice is an art historian by training, having received her undergraduate degree from the University of Bristol and her masters degree from the University of Oxford.
Alasdair Redwood
Researcher, Minerva Search
Alasdair joined Minerva in 2022 after receiving his master’s degree in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from UCL, following his undergraduate degree in History. His background has given him to have a particular interest in the museum and heritage sectors, and how history is communicated with the general public.
At Minerva, Alasdair has worked within the culture sector and on non-executive searches – including searches for a Director at the Dorset Museum, Trustees for the Cromwell Museum, and the Head of Creative Programmes for the Museum of London.
Dr Ingrid Samuel OBE
Acting Chair, The Heritage Alliance
Director of Placemaking & Heritage, The National Trust
Ingrid Samuel joined the Board of Trustees of the Heritage Alliance in 2015 and has served as its Acting Chair since 2023. She currently works as the Director of Placemaking & Heritage at the National Trust, where she has strategic responsibility for policy development, advocacy, research, and practice across heritage, land use planning, landscape, architecture, and new design. She has a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Cambridge.
She joined the National Trust in 2011 after nearly a decade working as a civil servant in the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, where she held numerous roles including Head of Heritage & Architecture and Head of Properties & Ceremonial Branch. In 2022, Ingrid was awarded an OBE for services to heritage.
Dr Jess Stitt ACR
Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, The Churches Conservation Trust
Jess leads a KTP project which is a partnership between the Churches Conservation Trust and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The project aims to support CCT in the development of their commercial activities, focusing on a maintenance service for listed buildings. The KTP will deliver a strategy and business plan for the expansion of this service, while helping the charity to develop an enterprise culture. Jess trained in conservation at UCL Institute of Archaeology and worked in collection management and preventive conservation before completing a PhD in Management at Oxford Saïd. She is an Accredited Member of Icon.
Kate Streeter
Head of Development and Communications, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Kate Streeter is the Head of Development and Communications for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), where she previously led the Maintenance Co-operatives project. Her particular experience lies in small charity management, heritage sites, fundraising, and project management.
Prior to joining the SPAB, Kate spent six years as Director of Burgh House and Hampstead Museum. She has also worked at Benjamin Franklin house, where she co-founded the London Small Historic Houses group; and Shakespeare’s Globe. She has also undertaken strategic consultancy for a number of heritage organisations.
Kate has a BA from the University of Cambridge in Archaeology and Anthropology, and a MA in Archaeological Heritage Management from University College London.
Jemica Taylor
Senior Researcher, Minerva Search
Jem joined Minerva after graduating from Queen Mary University of London with an Honours History degree, specialising in film history. Jem has dabbled in Japanese film history and WWII Hollywood, but specialised in Horror.
Jem enjoys acting and dancing. She has performed at the Barbican for the English National Ballet, and has recently performed at the Royal Stratford East Theatre as part of their REP company. In her spare time, you can find her in the kitchen baking.
Baroness Thornton
Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport in the House of Lords
Glenys Thornton is a Labour and Cooperative member of the House of Lords, and is a Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport in the House of Lords. She has had a career in the voluntary, co-operative, and private sectors for over forty years. She was Chief Executive of The Young Foundation from June 2015 to October 2017, and continues to serve as a Senior Fellow. Formerly a Government Health Minister (2008), and Women and Equalities Minister (2010), she is also a Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities. Glenys is the founding Chair, now Patron, of Social Enterprise UK, and Fellow of Social Innovation at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation (Judge Business School, University of Cambridge).
Abigail Tripp
Outreach, Engagement, and Development Co-ordinator, St John’s Church, Waterloo
Abigail has worked in community development in and around Lambeth for nearly twenty years with Coin Street Community Builders, Disability Advice Service Lambeth, Wheels for Wellbeing, The Cinema Museum, Archbishop’s Park, Vauxhall City Farm, and others. She was the first chair of the youth charity SE1 United, a founder Director of Waterloo Community Coalition (now part of South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours SoWN), and has lived in a Waterloo housing co-operative for 25 years.
Abigail is passionate about access and women’s rights. She is a member of the Women’s Equality Party and an owner of Lewes FC – the first football club to pay women and men equally. She is also an experienced community radio presenter and podcaster.
Ben Tucker
Partner, Minerva Search
Ben has twenty-five years’ experience in search, focused on organisations with a social mission. Prior to co-founding Minerva, he worked for over seven years’ with both Saxton Bampfylde and then Heidrick and Struggles, where he was Partner in the Education and Social Enterprise Practice.
His experience includes advising on the appointments of Vice-Chancellors, Chief Executives, Chairs and Board Members, and a broad range of other roles. He is a Board Member of Bow Arts, one of London’s leading providers of affordable arts studios and a leader in creative placemaking in the City. He is also a Governor of the Institute of Advanced Research in Gujarat, India.
The Rt Hon. Lord Ed Vaizey of Didcot
Conservative Peer in the House of Lords
Ed Vaizey (Lord Vaizey of Didcot) is a member of the House of Lords, broadcaster, and business adviser. He is a former Government Minister and Member of Parliament, representing Wantage between 2005 and 2019. He served as the UK Government Culture and Digital Minister from 2010-2016, the longest-serving Minister in that role to date. He published the first White Paper on Culture in the UK for fifty years, introduced a national music education programme, and established English Heritage as a stand-alone charity.
Ed presents his own weekly show on culture on Times Radio, has a weekly podcast on culture, and a weekly newsletter on tech and culture with many thousands of subscribers. He appears regularly in many media outlets as a political commentator..
Jan Wills
Chair of Trustees, Oxford Archaeology
Jan’s professional career in archaeology started in fieldwork in the midlands and north of England. Moving into local government she managed both curatorial and fieldwork teams, most recently in Gloucestershire as County Archaeologist. For the last ten years she has worked part time as a consultant on research projects, current sector issues, and organisational reviews.
Her trustee and advisory roles have included Chair of the Association of Local Government Archaeologists, trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, Chair of the Institute for Archaeologists, and membership of the Historic England Advisory Committee. She is currently Chair of Oxford Archaeology, a Trustee of the Heritage Alliance, President of her county archaeology society, a Member of CIfA and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Lord Neil Mendoza CBE
Lord Stephen Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Dr Ingrid Samuel OBE
Lizzie Glithero-West
