Having spent nearly eleven years as chief executive of animal rescue charity Battersea – a period which has seen the organisation quadruple its income – Horton has accepted the new role at the Commission.
“Her track record speaks for itself,” says Sir Bill Rollo, vice chairman of CWGC. “She is a proven leader, whom we are confident will guide our dedicated, multinational workforce and our remarkable organisation into the future with care, energy and judgement.”
It was Horton’s experience in several industries spanning both the private and public sectors that saw her through what Rollo labels a “highly competitive selection process”.
Working to engage with and educate younger and broader audiences will be a key task facing the appointee, as the organisation seeks to increase growth in its second century in operation.
“With key priorities around raising awareness and extending our reach to wider audiences including the next generation; as well as the ongoing vital conservation work of our historic, world-wide estate and playing our part in working in an environmentally sustainable way, there’s much to do,” Horton notes.
She also confirmed that the Commission, which cares for memorials commemorating the 1.7 million Commonwealth World War dead, will be recruiting “thousands of volunteers over the next few years” in the UK alone.
