The IHBC has greeted the various new appointments and reappointments by the Secretary of State of new Commissioners of Historic England, welcoming especially the appointment of IHBC member Nairita Chakraborty.
image: Open Government Licence v3.0
… Nairita is a well-respected IHBC Member with wide experience in both the public and private sectors…
IHBC Chair David McDonald said: ‘I always note with interest the appointment of new Commissioners to Historic England. It is particularly gratifying this year to see that Nairita Chakraborty is one of the new appointees.’
‘Nairita is a well-respected IHBC Member with wide experience in both the public and private sectors. I’m sure she will play an active and positive role in the governance of Historic England’.
GOV.UK writes:
The Secretary of State has appointed Nairita Chakraborty, Jane, Lady Gibson, David Laing, Sir Jonathan Marsden and Robert Sackville-West as Commissioners of Historic England for terms of four years from 1 July 2022 until 30 June 2026
Nairita Chakraborty
Nairita has over 16 years of experience in heritage, townscape and design. She has experience in ensuring sustained use of historic buildings whilst delivering large scale regeneration, housing and infrastructure projects. She has produced significant work on the adaptation and conversion of large and complex listed buildings, as well as town centre, public realm, and conservation area schemes.
She has recently set up her own practice Revive and Tailor which focuses on integrating existing buildings within regeneration proposals innovatively and resourcefully. Nairita is a member of Historic England’s Advisory Committee alongside Havering and Kensington and Chelsea’s Design Review Panels. She is a full member of the Royal Town Planners Institute and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
Jane, Lady Gibson
After graduating from Hull University with a degree in Drama & English in 1985, Jane worked in theatre, film, television, radio, the record industry and marketing and PR in London. During this time she was housekeeper to Doris Lessing the novelist.
She moved to the North East in 1996 where she established Joined Up North, a consultancy business specialising in strategic development, regeneration and place marketing though culture, heritage and tourism projects.
Following a move back to her home county of Yorkshire in 2009 she is now working in non-executive roles. Jane is chair of Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 legacy charity, founded by the National Lottery Community Fund in 2013 with a £47m endowment. She also chairs the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site Partnership Board. She is a director of the York & North Yorkshire LEP.
She was founding chair of Make It York, a destination management and business development company and until recently she chaired the Culture & Place Strategic Advisory Group in Hull. She also served on the Regional Committee of National Trust Yorkshire & North East until 2014.
David Laing
David’s background is steeped in the built environment, in heritage, culture, governance and ethics. He trained as an architect at UCL and worked with Sir Basil Spence before forming a private practice, and chairing a quoted housing development company. He completely restored the grade I house and gardens of Mackerye End, and then the 17thc house and historic park and garden at Fermyn Woods Hall.
He is chair and trustee of major philanthropic charities as well as those supporting heritage, community, culture, the arts and the environment. In contrast he led the development of Adrenaline Alley; Europe’s largest indoor skate/bmx park and home to the GB Olympic medallists. The charities have supported the restoration of the Royal Albert Hall, Coventry and other cathedrals, commissioned Denny windows a Jim Butler bronze at Barrow-in-Furness, and a ballet for the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
He is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Northampton, and was the Lord Lieutenant for Northamptonshire from 2014-2020 looking to develop awareness of and the interests of the county with its buildings/heritage/culture and economy. He has chaired academy trusts and been a trustee of one of the largest multi-academy trusts and also St Andrew’s Healthcare.
His 4th book of poems will be printed later this year!
Sir Jonathan Marsden KCVO, FSA
Jonathan Marsden was Director of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art from 2010 to 2017, having previously served as Deputy Surveyor since 1996. Prior to this he worked for the National Trust for eleven years as a Historic Buildings Representative in North Wales and Oxfordshire. He has served as a trustee of several arts and heritage organisations including Historic Royal Palaces, the Georgian Group, the Art Fund and the City & Guilds of London Art School. He has published and lectured widely on sculpture and the decorative arts and is the author of the forthcoming catalogue of European Sculpture in the Royal Collection.
Robert Sackville-West
Robert Sackville-West studied at Oxford University, where he read History, and at London Business School, before a career in publishing, creating illustrated books for an international market. As executive chair of Knole Estates, the property and investment company which – in parallel with the National Trust – cares for Knole, he has experience of land management, planning, conservation management, listed buildings and public access. Since 2021, Robert has also chaired the Kent Community Foundation, which raises money for, and distributes grants to, some 400 volunteer-based charities in Kent. He has been involved with education in both the private and state sector, as a governor at Sevenoaks School and Knole Academy, and as a former UK board director of the International Baccalaureate.
Robert has a great interest in British history and is committed to communicating that interest. His experience at Knole led him to write two critically acclaimed books on aspects of English history: Inheritance (2010); and The Disinherited (2014). His most recent book, The Searchers (2021) is broader in scope. Telling the stories of Britain’s quest to recover, identify and honour the missing soldiers of the First World War, it tackles the enduring impact on British society of the First World War.
Commissioners of Historic England are remunerated £4113.00 per annum. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
Nairita Chakraborty, David Laing, Sir Jonathan Marsden and Robert Sackville-West have declared no activity.
Jane, Lady Gibson has declared making an annual donation to the Women’s Equality Party, despite not taking part in local or national meetings.
GOV.UK writes:
The Secretary of State has reappointed Sandra Dinneen, Paul Farmer, Patrick Newberry, Susie Thornberry, and Richard Upton as Commissioners of Historic England for terms of three years and four months from 1 September 2022 until 31 December 2025.
Sandra Dinneen
Sandra is an experienced Chief Executive with roles spanning the public, private and not for profit sector. She has a background in economic growth and has led and advised on a number of successful development projects.
Sandra has a keen interest in organisational development, cultural change and commercialisation. She continues to deliver leadership development programmes and executive coaching. Other roles include being a Non-Executive Director of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, a founder Trustee and Member of the Sapientia Multi Academy Education Trust and leading the Priscilla Bacon Charity to deliver a new Hospice for Norfolk.
Sandra Chairs Historic England’s Business and Finance Committee and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Patrick Newberry
Patrick holds a number of non-executive directorships in the financial and professional services sectors, chairing audit and risk committees. He was a partner in PwC for 25 years, working in the financial sector in the UK and globally. He also served as a member of PwC’s Supervisory Board, Chair of its Strategy, Governance and International Sub-Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. He was a board member and former President (2010-2011) of the Management Consultancies Association.
In the not for profit sector, Patrick is a Trustee of the Georgian Group, Chairman of The Cornish Buildings Group, Chairman of the Cornwall College Group, Member of the Fabric Advisory Committee of Truro Cathedral and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Susie Thornberry
Susie is Assistant Director at Imperial War Museums where she leads public engagement for adults, young people, schools, and families across the five museums. Her extensive experience in arts, museums, festivals, and heritage includes roles with Historic Royal Palaces and Artichoke. Susie became a Commissioner of Historic England in 2018 and is a trustee of Battersea Arts Centre.
Paul Farmer
Paul Farmer has been Chief Executive of Mind, the leading mental health charity working in England and Wales since May 2006.
Paul is Chair of the NHS England Independent Oversight & Advisory Group which brings together health and care leaders and experts to oversee the current mental health long term plan for the NHS in England. He co-authored ‘Thriving at Work’ for the government, setting out how to transform mental health in workplaces.
Paul became a Commissioner of Historic England in 2018. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of East London, is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford, and The Royal College of Psychiatrists, and was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours 2016.
Richard Upton
Richard was the founder of the specialist regeneration property developer, Cathedral Group and was previously a co-founding Director of Mount Anvil. He has extensive experience in the field of complex regeneration projects through the UK. He was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive of U+I Plc in July 2015. Richard has served as a member of Historic England’s London Advisory Committee since 2012 and has campaigned extensively for sustainable restoration of heritage buildings, including the campaign to save Smithfield Market which he successfully fought and funded; the historic market buildings will now house the new Museum of London.
Commissioners of Historic England are remunerated £4113.00 per annum. All five Commissioners’ terms were initially extended by 8 months; they have subsequently been reappointed for terms of 3 years and 4 months.
These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Sandra Dinneen, Paul Farmer, Patrick Newberry, Susie Thornberry and Richard Upton have declared no such political activity.
