Trustee vacancy – Shakespeare Birthplace Trust – Chair

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is recruiting a new Chair to lead the delivery of its strategic vision and guide the organisation as it embarks on ambitious plans for the future. 

This follows the decision by the current Chair, Peter Kyle OBE, to step down later this year after 11 successful years in the role.

The new Chair will be an exceptional and inspirational individual, motivated by the power of Shakespeare and his works to enrich lives and communities, and able to support the charity’s thinking, planning and delivery as it pursues a bold recovery path beyond the impacts and constraints of the pandemic. The position offers a challenging and rewarding opportunity, for someone with a passion for arts and culture, to contribute to the success and development of one of the UK’s leading cultural and tourism organisations. As a National Portfolio Organisation, the Trust is also in the vanguard of delivering Arts Council England’s ‘Let’s Create’ strategy.

We seek a candidate who can provide clear leadership to the Board of Trustees and who will work in partnership with our CEO. Candidates should have the ability to engage and mobilise networks and funders in support of our internationally renowned learning programmes, our commitment to conserving and providing access to  the Shakespeare family homes and our collections in Stratford upon Avon and our ambitions to provide the best Shakespeare museum experiences in the world.

The new Chair will become part of an organisation that is deeply committed to diversity, equality, and inclusion, which fosters a culture of innovation, creativity and collaboration and which is enlivened by passionate Trustees, employees and volunteers.

The Trust was formed in 1847 following the purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace as a national memorial and is charged by Act of Parliament to preserve Shakespeare’s assets and his legacy for the benefit of the nation and to share them around the world.

The scope of Board activity is wide, ranging across charity compliance, audience development, academic and learning partnerships, digital expansion, capital project development, commercial enterprise, property management, financial sustainability and performance management. We seek a Chair who combines a rich skillset with proven ability to lead strategic change and delivery.

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and building a diverse and representative workforce. We would particularly welcome applications from candidates from backgrounds currently under-represented at leadership and governance levels.

Whilst this is a voluntary position, we would expect the successful candidate to be able to make a sustained and substantial commitment to the Trust. The anticipated time commitment for the role will vary but will include four Board meetings and two away days per year as well as Committee meetings and engagement activities.  Out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will be assisted in this appointment by global executive search firm Perrett Laver.

A member of the team would be delighted to speak directly with interested candidates about the opportunity. The deadline for applications is 20 February 2022.

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