Speakers

Hannah Fox, Executive Director, The Bowes Museum

Hannah joined The Bowes Museum in 2022 to steer a bold, purpose-driven vision for one of the Northeast of England’s most significant cultural landmarks. With a creative industries background, Hannah has worked with various sectors, including education, manufacturing, culture, and health. Before joining The Bowes Museum, Hannah led the creation of the new Museum of Making in Derby. 

Ruth McKew, Heritage Consultant, Headland Design

Ruth draws on long experience of working with small and medium sized museums and supporting curators and volunteers to create content and interpretation plans as well as delivering new exhibitions and interpretation in museums and historic sites across the UK.  

Rod Barlow, CEO, Rod Barlow Consulting

Rod Barlow has worked in the technology sector focusing on museums and cultural institutions for over 30 years. He has supported over 200 museums implement finance, retail, hospitality, ticketing and other technologies. His consulting firm helps museums of all sizes, helping them to develop technology strategies, select software systems and ensure they are implemented correctly. 

Cheryl Kwok, EMEA Onboarding and Relationship Management Lead, Bloomberg Connects

Cheryl Kwok is Bloomberg Connects’s Onboarding and Relationship Management Lead across the EMEA region, where she leads initiatives that help cultural institutions craft compelling content for visitors, communicate their value, and deepen their impact on communities worldwide. She is also a trustee of Culture&.

Esther White, Bloomberg Team Lead, Art UK

Esther White is the Bloomberg Team Lead at Art UK. Since 2022, she has onboarded many UK museums and galleries onto Bloomberg Connects. Previously, she worked as a copyeditor for a publishing house, and at multiple museums in the North of England in front of house and curatorial roles.

Manahil Waseem, Collections Content and Support Officer, Art UK

Manahil Waseem is a Relationship Manager at Art UK, working with collections on Bloomberg Connects to maintain the quality and content of digital guides. Her background includes collaborating with museums and communities to strengthen engagement with collections, helping people connect with their heritage and feel belonging in local cultural spaces.

Victoria Reeves, Chief Executive, National Justice Museum

Victoria has been CEO of NJM since 2018. Prior to this she worked for the National Trust, managing a portfolio of key properties across Derbyshire. She has worked in heritage/tourism since her summer job at the World of Beatrix Potter in 1993! 

Gill Brailey, Freelance (Director of Learning, National Justice Museum until January 2025)

Leading innovative heritage learning programmes for over 20 years in the local authority and charity sectors, Gill is experienced in managing programmes through change, finding new ways of working and income streams, and proud to have been Director of Learning with the National Justice Museum for 9 years. 

Dr Sylvia Hixson Andrews, Director, Blandford Town Museum

Sylvia has degrees in Biology and Anthropology. Since moving to the UK from California, she has spent 25 years volunteering in many roles at Blandford Town Museum and has been the Director for the last 10 years. Her focus is on making museums relevant and exciting for everyone.

Liz Rawlings, Volunteer on Steering Committee, Blandford Town Museum

Born and bred in Dorset, Liz attended Uxbridge Technical College in Middlesex as a mature student before becoming Bi-lingual P.A. to the Financial Director of Tefal UK. Now retired, she is Blandford Forum’s Town Crier and an official Town Guide. She lost much of her sight in 2015 but leads a fully active and independent life. 

Andrew Mackay, Director, Tullie

Andrew became Director of Tullie in Carlisle in 2016. He joined in 2010 as Head of Collections and Programming and led several gallery developments. At Tullie, Andrew is leading the £14m phased capital development programme Project Tullie, which is transforming the museum into a cultural hub for Carlisle. 

Katie McGivney, Cumbria Museum Consortium Manager

Katie manages the Cumbria Museum Consortium—a partnership between Tullie, Lakeland Arts, and Wordsworth Grasmere. She leads delivery of the Arts Council England NPO programme, driving strategy, grant management, and reporting. With over a decade in the cultural sector, Katie champions partnerships that drive innovation and impact.

Michael McGregor, Director, Wordsworth Trust

Michael McGregor is Director of the Wordsworth Trust, which operates Wordsworth Grasmere, one of the UK’s leading literary heritage attractions and part of the Cumbria Museum Consortium. He sits on the Directors Advisory Group for Museum Development North and chairs the MD North Open Grants Assessment Panel. 

Luis Martins, Chief Executive Officer, Lakeland Arts

Luis joined Lakeland Arts in 2024, bringing over 20 years’ experience in visitor engagement and cultural operations. He has played a pivotal role in guiding the organisation through a challenging financial landscape while championing audience-focused strategies. Previous roles include leadership positions at the Lake District National Park Authority and St Martin-in-the-Fields. 

Emma Howe, Director, The Minories

Emma is a highly motivated arts and museum professional with over 15 years of experience in the sector. Emma strongly believes that arts and culture should be accessible for all and works hard to make that a reality. 

Darren Smith, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, The Minories

At The Minories, Darren collaborates with the University of Essex to diversify income streams and measure social impact. Leveraging strategic planning, financial acumen, and a commitment to community transformation, Darren embraces opportunities to drive sustainable growth while fostering systems that empower teams and enhance organisational value. 

Melissa Linsey, Museum Manager, Dacorum Heritage

Melissa leads on the operations of the museum, ensuring care of the collections and is responsible for the public engagement work. She has worked as a skills tutor for sector apprentices with Westminster Adult Education Services, Chiltern Open Air Museum and the National Trust and as a freelance consultant. 

Connie Search, Museum Assistant, Dacorum Heritage

Connie joined the Dacorum Heritage team in May 2025. As the Museum Assistant she supports a wide range of activities, including the public engagement programme, collections management and collections care. Prior to joining Dacorum Heritage, she was Senior Conservation Technician with collection care teams at the Parliamentary Archives and Tate. 

Dr Matthew Tanner, Specialist Consultant & AIM Hon Vice President

Dr Matthew Tanner MBE is a strategic heritage consultant and founder of Compass Heritage. Former CEO of the SS Great Britain Trust, he has advised museums and heritage projects across the UK and internationally. A past Chair and now Honorary Vice President of AIM, he champions bold, entrepreneurial approaches to sustaining museums. 

Erin Moran, Museum Futures Capacity Programme Officer, Museums Galleries Scotland

Erin Moran is the Capacity Programme Officer for Museum Futures. She plays a key role in fostering relationships with partner organisations as well as supporting museums to engage with the programme by working to understand their needs and areas for development. Erin also supports the delivery of programme funding, and helps to develop skills programming activity. 

Siobhan Beatson, Museum Curator, Ullapool Museum

Siobhán Beatson is the curator at Ullapool Museum, participating in Museum Futures. Through the programme, they have been exploring new ways of working, strengthening their organisation’s resilience, and testing ideas that better serve their community.  

Dr Chris Ferguson, Museum Director, Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Distillery

From a background in Anglo-Saxon archaeology, Chris has created museum and story-telling experiences in a career spanning the Ashmolean Museum, Oxfordshire Museums, Auckland Castle, York Museums Trust, and now Ad Gefrin. He is passionate about owning the story of place, with integrity, honesty, and humility. 

Claire Byers, Director, Executive Head of Brand & Communications, Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Distillery

In an impressive career, Claire has had extensive success in designing and establishing strong experience-based brands in cultural destinations including BALTIC, The Alnwick Garden, Kynren, and An Lanntair, Stornoway, to name a few. Claire has been integral to building the Ad Gefrin brand and story since 2019. 

Clémence Aycard, Art Curator and Consultant

Clémence Aycard is an independent art historian, curator and consultant based in Scotland, specialising in telling environmental stories through museum collections – exploring how intersectional approaches can help us better connect with the world and each other. She’s an active member of Climate Museum UK and Board Member of ICOM SUSTAIN. 

Katherine McAlpine, Director, Brunel Museum

Katherine McAlpine has been Director of the Brunel Museum since January 2021. She leads the small team to deliver the Museum’s mission to share the Brunel’s London story in Rotherhithe and beyond. In August 2021, the Museum launched its Sustainability Plan. She has over ten years experience with a specialism in learning and audience development. She has previously held roles at Imperial War Museums, Royal Museums Greenwich and the Royal Institution. 

Gabriella Codastefano, Learning & Engagement Producer, Brunel Museum

Gabriella Codastefano joined the Brunel Museum in 2021 and is now the Learning & Engagement Producer. She develops and delivers creative learning programmes for schools, families, and communities. She also produces and manages the museum’s recent initiatives, including the museum’s new school visit programmes, the Esmée Fairbairn–funded Sophia’s Story project on gender representation in STEM, Wild Things: Gardening Club, The Tunnellers Club and Tales of Teredo Navalis. Originally from Italy, Gabriella has a BA in Fashion and Cultural Studies and a Master’s Degree in Photography.   

Sarah Hartshorne, Senior Manager, Museums and Cultural Property (interim), Arts Council England 

Jennifer Cragg, Accreditation Advisor, Museum Development North

Jennifer Cragg is Museum Development North’s Accreditation Adviser and the point of contact for museums participating, or wishing to participate, in the Accreditation Scheme across the North of England. She has a background in the management and interpretation of multi-disciplinary collections, with a particular interest in social history and folklore. Before joining Museum Development North, Jennifer worked as a heritage consultant supporting a diverse range of museums and historic sites with collections management, community engagement, interpretation and capital development projects. She has also worked closely with Welsh Government on the development of new collections management guidance and co-authored the ‘Collections Significance Assessment Toolkit for Welsh Museums’.

Tom Billington

Tom is a strategic leader and enabler in the built environment and heritage sectors, having had a career leading high-impact programmes that span arts, culture, heritage, leisure, and education.

Tom contributes to the sector through governance roles as Chair of Sunderland Culture, Chair of The Museums Accreditation Committee, Chair of the Craft and Training Committee of The Worshipful Company of Masons, Member of the Fabric Advisory Committee of Rochester Cathedral. He has led transformational programmes for nationally significant institutions including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the Royal Academy of Arts; Durham Cathedral; the Lloyd’s Register; and The Charterhouse, London and The Bank of England.

Since his appointment as Chair of the Museum’s Accreditation Committee he has pressed to ensure that the scheme is relevant to the breadth of organisations across sector, a useful tool for the same in demonstrating excellence in collections care and public/audience engagement and to be a cause for celebration.

Enke Huang, Director & Lead Consultant, Daylight Perspective

Enke Huang is Director and Lead Consultant at Daylight Perspective, specialising in audience insight, place-based research, and strategy for cultural organisations and city governments. Trained in business, art and anthropology, she has over a decade of international experience across the UK, Europe and Asia. Her work focuses on turning insight into practical action—supporting organisations to strengthen engagement, develop partnerships, and build commercially and socially sustainable futures. She has been recognised as a Global Insights Leader 30 under 30 (MRS, 2023), Women of the Future (2023), and by the Royal Anthropological Institute for innovation (2019).

Eleanor Moore, Project Manager, Growing together and Sustainable Volunteering Officer, Museum Development South West

Eleanor Moore is a development officer working with museums in the south west to develop capacity across volunteering and inclusivity. Her background is in social history curatorship and community engagement. In her role with MDSW she delivers volunteer development advice, training and forums, and works in partnership to lead projects with museums of all types and scales. 

Clare Ferdinando, Cultural Producer, Growing Together, Museum Development South West

Clare Ferdinando is dedicated to the role of heritage and culture in wellbeing and inclusion. As Cultural Producer for Museum Development South West’s Growing Together project, she supports museums in embedding equitable practice. Clare brings community engagement experience from previous roles at the National Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Helen Jacobs, Head of Learning and Engagement, Royal West of England Academy

Helen joined the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) in 2018 to grow and shape the participation programme, leading the activity plan during the building renovation 2021-2. Helen has taken the RWA learning and engagement work from a £5K/year programme to a £50K/year programme, is EDIB lead and in the Senior Leadership Team.

Laura Kinnear, Curator, Holst Victorian House

Laura has been the curator of the Holst Victorian House since 2008. Her love of museums began as an eight-year-old when she visited the house and was charmed by the maid’s bedroom! She returned as a volunteer in her early twenties before studying for a Master’s in Museology at UEA.  Laura is passionate about interpretation and widening audiences. 

Sabine Orton, Volunteer (previous Operations Manager), Holst Victorian House

Sabine joined the Museum in January 2022 as a volunteer, which she combined with an Open University Art History degree. In early 2024, Sabine took on the role of Operations Manager, bringing experience in both the commercial and charitable sectors, as well as a passion for Museums. Sabine has now stepped down from her post but remains a key part of the volunteer team.   

Rebecca Yorke, Director, Brontë Parsonage Museum

Rebecca Yorke is the Director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, which has a Designated collection and is an ACE NPO for literature. Rebecca is an advocate for access and inclusion and a champion of compassionate leadership and team wellbeing.  

Sarah Furness, Partner, Employment Law & HR, Hay & Kilner

Sarah takes pride in getting to know her clients, so that she can assist them with their people strategy and so she has a full awareness of their commercial objectives and how their people strategy fits in with it. Sarah is often referred to as part of her client’s “team”. 

Celia Lloyd Davidson, Legal Director, Boodle Hatfield LLP

Celia is a trusted advisor to arts and heritage clients, combining her background in leading legal practices with her previous role as General Counsel and Head of Governance at a national museum to provide clear, bespoke advice with a strong sector focus.  

Caroline Pantling, Head of Heritage Services, The Scouts

Caroline is Head of Heritage Services for The Scouts. Since 2014, she has promoted the Heritage Collection as a key organisational asset, strengthening brand identity, supporting communications and developing audience engagement beyond the Scout Movement. In November 2025 the team opened the first permanent Scout heritage gallery since 1995.

Hannah Jenkinson, Archivist, Girlguiding

Hannah Jenkinson is the Archivist for Girlguiding, the UK’s leading youth organisation dedicated to girls. Since 2023, she has led a transformational programme to catalogue and improve archive access, preserving its rich heritage.  Her work supports internal research and engagement, enabling members to connect with the organisation’s history and values.

Hannah Spinks, Archive and Collections Manager, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Hannah is the Archive and Collections Manager for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Her work brings the DofE’s story to life through the unique lens of its historic collections, allowing the charity to gain a deeper understanding of the journey that shaped it into the leading youth development framework of today. 

Roz Currie, Director, Wycombe Museum

Roz Currie is Director of Wycombe Museum, where she led its post-Covid transformation, strengthening financial resilience, growing audiences and delivering projects to reimagine it as a community-focused museum. Previously a curator at Islington Museum and the Jewish Museum London, she is passionate about using heritage stories to spark real social impact. 

Amber Xavier Rowe, Head of Collections Conservation, English Heritage

Amber Xavier Rowe ACR is the Head of Collections Conservation for English Heritage Trust responsible for the care and conservation of over one million objects located in 135 sites across England. Her expertise is in preventive conservation, insect pest management and the construction of sustainable stores. 

Jon Ray, Sustainability Manager, Gardens, Libraries & Museums, University of Oxford

Jon Ray is the Sustainability Manager for Gardens, Libraries, and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Oxford. He has extensive experience in leading sustainability initiatives, with a recent focus on carbon reduction strategies, climate risk and adaptation, staff engagement and biodiversity net gain. Currently, Jon leads efforts to achieve carbon net zero and nature positive goals for the University’s gardens, libraries, and museums.  

Amber Rochette, Sustainability Manager, The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Amber is the Sustainability Manager for The Roman Baths & Pump Room, leading their first decarbonisation programme focused on climate mitigation. Her work also tackles growing risks such as regional flooding and supply chain vulnerabilities, ensuring The Roman Baths remains resilient and adaptable to future climate-related challenges.  

Gaynor Seville, Creative Director, The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery

Gaynor has had a long career working in the arts, initially as a commissioner of significant public art schemes regionally and internationally.  She has led local authority arts services in the City of Salford and in Ireland. Gaynor had led The Whitaker since it’s re opening forging a new direction and ambition for the organisation. 

Gemma Outen, Programme and Engagement Manager, The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery

Gemma worked in Higher Education for over 12 years and, after gaining her PhD in History from Edge Hill University in 2018, left academia for the arts and culture sector. She joined The Whitaker in 2023 and is a member of the Senior Management Team with responsibility for funding via Trusts and Foundations and the museum program of events.

Jen Ridding, Head of Engagement and Learning, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Jen is a dynamic senior leader experienced in strategic development of Learning, Audience Development, Engagement, Visitor Services and Operations in museums, galleries and heritage.  Bringing people, places, stories and ideas together, Jen has a successful track record in building successful teams, change management, and designing innovative partnerships and collaborations.  

Sara Blair-Manning, Chief Executive, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Sara has over 35 years of strategic leadership experience in successfully developing, managing, and improving the performance and assets of businesses and charities in the museum, heritage, and horticultural sectors across a range of built and natural heritage sites. 

Sue Hughes, Museum Development Adviser, Museum Development North

Sue Hughes is Museum Development Adviser for Museum Development North and led on the creation and delivery of the Retail training and mentoring programme in 2025. 

Olivia Thompson, Visitor Experience Co-ordinator, Middlesborough Museums

Olivia is a Visitor Experience Coordinator at a local authority museum. Through Museum Development North’s retail training, she has been developing a retail offer that balances affordability and quality, ensuring options for a wide range of visitors while reflecting the museum’s core purpose. 

Anya Kirkby, Freelancer/Consultant

Anya has supported 35+ cultural organisations to develop their commercial offers, in line with their core purpose. A specialist in museum retail, Anya works with a wide range of museums to reflect their collections throughout retail. From mentoring volunteer led organisations to strategy creation for national museums – and everything in between!

Rebecca Bennion, Documentation Officer, Museum of North Craven Life

A palaeontologist by training, Rebecca Bennion found the specimens and stories in museum collections far more exciting than statistical analyses and decided to pursue a career outside academia. Since finishing her PhD Rebecca has worked at Whitby Museum and Gallery Oldham, and started a full-time job at the Museum of North Craven Life in 2024. 

Carson Murphy, Collections Manager, Museum of North Craven Life

Carson Murphy has been Collections Manager at MNCL since 2024, and was previously at Watford Museum. Originally from Canada, he has worked in a variety of museum positions over the last 18 years from tour guide to museum director. He has a passion for local history, historic architecture, and building community connections. 

Lucy Jenkins, Co-CEO, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens

Lucy Jenkins is Co-CEO at Ushaw Historic House, bringing over 30 years’ experience in museums and galleries. She has led strategic development, exhibitions, and audience engagement across the culture sector, helping organisations balance heritage, mission, and sustainability while delivering innovative visitor experiences and diversifying income streams.

Jonathan Ward, Co-CEO, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens

Jonathan Ward is Co-CEO at Ushaw Historic House. After a long career in the retail sector, a conversation in a pub after choir practice led him to Ushaw ten years ago. Initially focused on business modelling, he became Co-Chief Executive in December 2023, blending heritage insight with commercial leadership.