The MLA Board is chaired by Sir Andrew Motion and comprises ten trustees, all of whom have been appointed by DCMS. In addition, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are each represented by one Observer. At the start of January 2010, the MLA implemented a scheme which enables up to four non-voting members to be seconded to the Board for a period of 12 months. This scheme enables the Board to benefit from an extended range of views whilst, at the same time, providing secondees with an insight into the Board’s work. One of the Board’s most recent secondees, Dr Atul Shah, has written an article describing his first few weeks working with the MLA Board.
Sir Andrew Motion – Chair of MLA
Andrew Motion became Chair of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council in 2008.
Andrew served as the Poet Laureate for a decade until May this year. He was previously a Member of Arts Council England (ACE) and Chair of the ACE Literature Panel, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Born in London and educated at Oxford University, Andrew became a lecturer at Hull University (1976-1981), publishing his first collection of poetry in 1977. Since then, he has published several other volumes of poetry and biography, for which he has received the Somerset Maugham Award, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Whitbread Prize for Biography. He was Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia from 1995-2003, when he was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway College, University of London. He is a member of the Council of the ASA and a co-founder and co-director of the Poetry Archive, an online collection of historic and contemporary poets reading their own work. His most recent collection of poems is The Cinder Path (Faber, 2009)
Geoffrey Bond OBE
Geoffrey Bond is a Lawyer, Businessman and Broadcaster. Former Senior Partner of Law firm Ashton Bond Gigg specialising in corporate and heritage law, Broadcaster on radio and television with his own series on heritage for ITV in the 1980’s and an original expert on the Antiques Roadshow. Former Director of Central Independent Television Plc and former Chair of Impact Packaging Plc and other Companies, currently non-executive Director of the Charles Lawrence Group Plc. Present Chair of GEM (Group for Education in Museums) and the Papplewick Pumping Station Trust, Deputy Chair of the Museum of Law and the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law. Former Chair of Arts & Business East Midlands and a number of learned societies. Chair Bicentenary (2007) Cultural & Community Sectors Steering Group London. For many years Consul for Norway in the Midlands and founder of the City of London Bridge Ward Club Norwegian Business Scholars Trust and City of London representative of Seed Forum International. Past Master of a London Livery Company and a member of a number of City-related organisations. Sheriff of the City of London 2003/4. He has done extensive pro bono charity work mostly for heritage organisations. He has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years.
Patricia Cullen
Patsy Cullen is Emeritus Professor of Learning Innovation at York St John University, where she was Director of Learning and Teaching and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning until 2007. Previous roles include those of Head of Learning Resources and Curator of the National Arts Education Archive at Bretton Hall College of Higher Education and Course Leader of the MA Librarianship at Leeds Polytechnic. Patsy is a Fellow of CILIP, a former member of the Chartership Board and currently acts as a Scrutineer and Mentor for candidates for Chartership. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Patsy has been an Accreditor for university programmes in teaching in higher education for some eight years. Patsy was co-founder and Trustee of Commanet: the community archive network until last year. In 2007 she was appointed to the Learning Panel of the National Trust and in 2008 became a Trustee of The Leeds Library, an independent library founded in 1768.
Her term of appointment will run from 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2013.
Angela Dean
Angela Dean spent more than 25 years in international finance, working for much of her career as a managing director for the American investment bank, Morgan Stanley. She specialised in financial analysis of technology companies and ran Morgan Stanley’s global technology research team. In 2005 she was appointed director for socially responsible investment at Morgan Stanley to promote the inclusion of environmental, social and governance issues in the firm’s financial research. She was a member of the United Nations Global Compact’s initiative to develop a framework for such issues in the global financial sector.
In 2009, she became a trustee of International House, one of the largest independent world organisations for the teaching of languages and the training of language teachers. Angela read modern history and completed a doctorate in early 17th century English politics at Somerville College, Oxford. She has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years.
Yinnon Ezra MBE
After working in local Government and the voluntary sector for 30 years, 23 of which at Chief Officer level in three local authorities, Yinnon Ezra MBE, now works with the University of Winchester and continues to support the Local Government Group on Tourism and Cultural Services.
Yinnon has a strong track record of finding innovative, radical and inspiring solutions to delivering Cultural Services that engage with communities. As the former Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs for Hampshire County Council, his portfolio covered Arts, Tourism, Countryside, Museums and Archives, Libraries, Adult Learning, Sport and Rural Affairs. Yinnon reinvented libraries at Hampshire through his pioneering Discovery Centre programme which widened customers access to cultural services by breaking down barriers between professionals and encouraging cross-working. While working at Kent County Council Yinnon’s department was used as a Government pilot project for the ‘Future of Public Libraries’. He also led on the Turner Contemporary Gallery project (opening in Margate in April 2011) and his energetic customer focus has transformed the many Cultural Services he has managed.
Yinnon has also been a Cabinet Office Ambassador for Diversity in Public Appointments, is a Board Member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund. In the New Year Honours 2008, he was awarded the MBE for service to local government. He has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years.
Helen Forde
Helen Forde is an archivist with regional, national and international experience. She was formerly the chair of MLA East Midlands, and was also the chair of the Museums, Library and Archives Expert Panel at the Heritage Lottery Fund (2002 – 2005). She trained at Liverpool University and worked at the National Archives from 1979 – 2001. She has also taken on numerous consultancies within and outside of the UK, including ICA, the UN, WHO, UNESCO and the British Council. She has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years.
Glen Lawes
Glen Lawes recently retired from the post of Chief Executive of one of Britain's leading independent museums. His career spanned H.M. Diplomatic Service and general management with British Petroleum; he has successfully managed businesses with a multi-million pound turnover and opened up new opportunities in demanding circumstances in the UK and overseas. Recent achievements include the substantial renewal and expansion of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums; raising over £17 million of Lottery and other funds. He has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years.
Karen Tyerman
Karen is currently Director for Community Learning in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where she is responsible for a variety of services for children, young people and adults, ranging from libraries to sports development, from adult learning to teenage pregnancy prevention, and from children’s play to youth centres.
Karen has spent her career largely in London boroughs where she has also managed local authority museum, archive, and arts services. In the past she has been president of the Association of London Chief Librarians, a member of the London Libraries Development Agency Board, and a member of the Society of Chief Librarians’ Executive.
Her term of appointment will run from 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2013.
Munira Mirza
Munira has a background in policy research, and has written and lectured on issues related to cultural policy, race and identity. She has worked for a range of cultural and charitable organisations including the Royal Society of Arts, the independent think tank Policy Exchange and Tate and has taught at the University of Kent and University of East London. In 2009 she completed her PhD in Sociology at the University of Kent, examining developments in UK cultural policy and multiculturalism.
Munira has presented a number of programmes for BBC Radio 4, including, ‘The Business of Race’ and ‘Fighting Chance’. She edited the book ‘Culture Vultures: Is UK arts policy damaging the arts?’ and was the co-author of the report ‘Living Apart Together: British Muslims and the Paradox of Multiculturalism’. In 2006 she was a founding member of the Manifesto Club, an organisation that campaigns against over-regulation of everyday life.
Munira is a member of Arts Council England, London Regional Council, and the Renaissance London Board.
Robert Wand
Robert Wand recently retired but was, until 1998, County Librarian of Lancashire when he was appointed as Director of Lifelong Learning and Cultural Services for Lancashire County Council. Much of his career has been concerned with the management of public libraries and museums for large Local Authorities, but he has also worked closely within Arts and Education to develop services to young people. He has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years.
Nancy Bell
Head of Collections Care at The National Archives
MLA Board Observer
Jane Carmichael
Jane Carmichael joined the National Museums of Scotland in the newly-created post of Director of Collections in July 2003. She is now responsible for its huge range of collections which include the history of technology, social history, the natural sciences, archaeology, the decorative arts and the history of Scotland. Previously Jane was the first Director of Collections for the Imperial War Museum in London from 1995 to 2003. In that role she was responsible for a broad range of collections and multi-media archives covering the history of warfare in the twentieth century and beyond. She was also responsible for the first IWM web site and the subsequent Collections On-line project. Her book First World War Photographers (Routledge 1989) was written while she was Keeper of the IWM Photograph Archive.
She has also been involved with a wide range of museum sector issues such as the restitution of cultural property, ICT in Museums, and freedom of information.
Jane was born and educated in Scotland and is married with two daughters and three step-children.
Linda Tomos
Linda was educated at Aberystwyth University where she gained a joint first class honours degree in History and Librarianship. A chartered librarian for over thirty years, she also studied for a masters degree in information systems management. Prior to her appointment as the first Director of CyMAL, Linda was a research projects director at Aberystwyth University for fifteen years. Whilst at Aberystwyth, she acted as an expert adviser to government, local authorities, the British Library, the Big Lottery and the European Union on strategic electronic information services and knowledge management systems. She was also Chair of LISC Wales (the advisory body on libraries to the Welsh Assembly Government prior to 2004), Chair of the BBC Wales Educational Broadcasting Council for five years and a member of the Welsh Advisory Council on Telecommunications prior to the establishment of OFCOM.
As Director of CyMAL, Linda is a senior civil servant and a member of the senior management team for the Welsh Assembly Government Heritage Department. CyMAL is a policy division for the development of museums archives and libraries in Wales, including the sponsorship of the National Library of Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru- National Museum Wales.
Sinead McCartan
Head of Collections Research and Interpretation, National Museums Northern Ireland Cultura
MLA Board Secondee
Nicola Waddington
Nicola Waddington is a Registered Archivist who has worked on projects predominantly in local authority archives. Examples of her work include the Whitstable Oyster Sources Project run in conjunction with Canterbury Museums Service, Records Management for Canterbury City Council, the Darnley Family Archive and projects to digitise archive catalogues to enable internet based access to archive resources. She has also worked for a short time as a Museum Development Officer, providing advice and development opportunities for non-national museums.
She currently works in a nunnery for the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions building a legacy of their past, current and future work via their archives.
Nicola is a trained disability access auditor and has a particular interest in the opportunities afforded by sport and heritage to empower individuals, particularly those with disabilities. She founded Canterbury PHAB Club in the year 2000 to integrate people with and without disabilities through social events. She is also committee secretary of a local branch of Disability Snowsport UK, which is a charity founded to enable people with disabilities to participate in skiing.
Nicola is author of ‘The Employment of People with Disabilities as Archivists, Records Managers, Conservators and Assistants’ published in the Journal of the Society of Archivists.