Historic England has announced Conservative peer Lord Mendoza as its new Chair.
The head of Oxford University’s Oriel College was announced as the new Chair by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer.
The former JP Morgan banker Chairs the Government’s Culture and Heritage Capital Board, a role created in response to the pandemic.
He has previously served as Chair of The Landmark Trust, Chair of Children and the Arts, and Vice-Chair of Soho Theatre.
In 2017 he led two government reviews, ‘The Mendoza Review: an independent review of museums in England’ and a separate review of the museums sponsored by DCMS.
He was given a lifetime peerage by former PM Boris Johnson in 2020. He previously served as a commissioner of Historic England from 2016 to 2019.
Lord Mendoza said: “From my time as a Commissioner, I know and value the deep expertise of Historic England staff – from marine archaeology to the city skyline. We all know the power of heritage and its role in making a difference to people’s lives, creating vibrant and flourishing places.”
“The pandemic sharpened awareness of the economic value of the heritage sector and how much our historic environment means to people but there is more to be done in demonstrating the importance of heritage to society.”
Outgoing Chair Sir Laurie Magnus said the new appointment has “exceptionally wide-ranging experience across the culture and heritage sectors and comes with a record of success in many different roles.
“He understands the principles behind constructive conservation, particularly in the context of climate adaptation and, also, as chair of DCMS’s Culture and Heritage Capital Advisory Board, will ensure that this important initiative to establish Culture and Heritage Capital as the standard framework to measure sectoral impact will be successful.”
