IHBC full member Kate Clark been appointed to serve as the next Chief Executive of CADW, in an announcement welcomed by the IHBC.
Trefor Thorpe, IHBC President and a former chief architect at Cadw states, ‘Kate faces a tremendous challenge, that’s for sure, but if anyone has the pedigree, the experience and the strength of character to carry it off, she does.’
‘Following a major reorganisation and severe budget cuts in recent years Cadw has a chronic specialist skills and experience gap. Cadw’s retiring Director, the formidable and inspiring Marilyn Lewis who has transformed the organisation, will be a hard act to follow but Kate is known to be a tough cookie too. Kate will surely continue the pragmatic, no-nonsense, but essentially people and customer-orientated approach to heritage that Cadw has taken on board but with, we rather hope, a stronger and more practical conservation emphasis. It’s a matter for celebration for us, of course, that Kate will be the first head of a national heritage organisation in the UK to be a member of the IHBC. She deserves our sincere congratulations and strong support in the task she faces going forward.’
IHBC Vice Chair Emilia McDonald said: ‘We can warmly welcome the news of Kate’s appointment. As an active member of IHBC for many years, Kate is sure to bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the post.’
‘Many of our members will know of Kate, and her enthusiasm and knowledge for all our work! We look forward to seeing and hearing more of her achievements in the future, and wish her all the best in her new post.’
CADW writes:
Ms Clark will be responsible for leading Cadw’s work and working with the historic environment sector as a whole to conserve Wales’s heritage, help people understand, enjoy and care about their history and sustain the distinctive character of Wales. She will succeed Marilyn Lewis who will retire in August this year and will take up the post in late summer.
Originally from Australia, Ms Clark studied Archaeology and Anthropology at University before working in the heritage sector in England for many years. She has more recently been Director of Sydney Living Museums in Australia.
Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths said ‘Through Cadw, the Welsh Government has a dynamic vision for a historic environment which plays its part in conserving and interpreting our history for visitors and residents alike and which supports the economy both directly by providing jobs and indirectly by attracting tourists to the country. Marilyn has made a major contribution to delivering this vision since 2005 and I thank her for her hard work and tireless commitment.
Kate brings with her a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills; her appointment will help Cadw and the heritage sector in Wales to grasp the opportunities that our historic environment offers. She has a dedicated, highly skilled team waiting to work with her and I wish her the very best of luck in this new role.’
Kate Clark said: ‘I am thrilled to be joining the Welsh Government and Cadw. I am also looking forward to building on the excellent work to date through a collaborative approach with the historic environment sector to help people and communities connect with their past.’
