Birmingham Museums Trust, one of the UK’s largest independent museums trusts, has today announced the appointment of four new trustees to its board, following the release of its ambitious Ten-Year Strategy.
Announced by Chair Ian Grosvenor, the new trustees will work with the other members of the board and the senior management team, to help drive the organisation forwards with expertise in marketing, communications, business development and the arts.
The new appointments include Mohammed Ali MBE, artist and Artistic Director of Soul City Arts, Claire Williamson, Assistant Director of Marketing and Development at London Transport Museum, John Diviney, Director and Communications Consultant at Brunswick Arts and Luke Southall, Managing Director at Oaks Consultancy.
The news comes at a time when Birmingham Museums is planning for the major redevelopment of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG), which will see Birmingham’s great collection reimagined for its young, diverse audiences.
Alongside the redevelopment plans for BMAG, the first stage of the plans includes creating a new store and cultural hub in the east of the city. The proposed facility would house the city’s world-class museum collection and will become the headquarters for Birmingham Museums’ back office, curatorial, conservation and technical teams.
Under these plans the Trust’s aim is to offer a completely new type of cultural proposition, combining heritage, visual arts and performing arts with community engagement and skills development.
Dr Ellen McAdam, Director of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “Since we became a charity in 2012, Birmingham Museums has made huge progress. Exciting programming like Dippy the Dinosaur is attracting more, and more diverse audiences, and we are finding new ways to generate income. We look forward to working with the new board members as we build on this success for the future.
“The four new Trustees bring a wealth of knowledge and skills which will be invaluable for us at this time, bringing with them fresh ideas and a passion to help us realise our aims of making this world-class collection more accessible than ever.”
Professor Ian Grosvenor, Chair of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “The new board members bring strategic expertise from across the region and nationally at a crucial time for the Trust, as it works towards major transformational plans. I look forward to working with them all to bring to life our vision and future strategy for Birmingham Museums.”
Birmingham Museums Trust manages the city’s collection and venues on behalf of Birmingham City Council. Attracting over one million visits a year, the Trust’s venues also include Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collection Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum and Weoley Castle.
