Our People
The skill, knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm of our staff and volunteers make English Heritage a special place to work. The range of roles and expertise is immense and draws people from a wide range of sectors and backgrounds.
As a registered charity, we are governed by a board of trustees who delegate day-to-day responsibility for the running of the organisation to a senior management team. Gerard Lemos CMG CBE is Chair of the board of trustees and Dr Nick Merriman OBE is our Chief Executive.
Chief Executive
Dr Nick Merriman OBE joined English Heritage as Chief Executive in 2024.
Nick was born and raised in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. His early interest in history and archaeology was partly inspired by collecting old bottles from Birmingham’s junk stores and childhood visits to nearby castles in Kenilworth and Clun. From the age of 16 he took part in excavations at the Roman site of Wall in Staffordshire.
He studied archaeology at Cambridge University and his PhD, also at Cambridge and exploring the barriers to participation in heritage, was published as Beyond The Glass Case in 1991.
Dismantling those barriers has been the thread running throughout his career, and Nick has held roles at the Museum of London, the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, Manchester Museum, and the Horniman Museum and Gardens, where he was Chief Executive and Director of Content. Under Nick’s leadership at the Horniman, the south London museum with its displays of anthropology, natural history and musical instruments, won Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022.
Nick was President of the Council for British Archaeology from 2005 to 2008. He chaired the review of the Higher Education Museums and Galleries Fund for Research England in 2023 and was Chair of the National Trust Collections and Interpretation Advisory Group from 2022 to 2024. He has been Chair of the Arts Council England Designation Panel since September 2021.
In the King’s New Year Honours List 2024, Nick was awarded an OBE for services to both the arts and to heritage.
Chair
Gerard Lemos CMG CBE is the Chair of the English Heritage Board of Trustees. A social policy expert, Gerard is the author of a number of publications examining the role communities can play in our society and how to support vulnerable people. He is Chair of the Agency Board of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and a former Chair of the British Council.
Gerard has been involved in renovating historic buildings throughout his entire career, in particular during roles within the housing and community regeneration sectors. His heritage experience includes his years as a Trustee at Dartington Hall in Devon where this medieval house and listed garden became a centre for progressive learning in the arts, ecology and social justice.
He is the founding Chair of the Akram Khan dance company, a Trustee at the Donmar Warehouse, and he chairs the Hofesh Shechter dance company. Born in India, Gerard grew up in Croydon and studied History and English at the University of York.
Trustees
The collective role of the trustees is to provide strategic direction and constructive challenge to ensure English Heritage delivers its goals and objectives and is managed effectively.
- Gerard Lemos CMG CBE
- Kay Boycott
- Liz Bromley
- Tony Cates
- Tanvi Gokhale
- Sebastian James
- Peter Liney
- Sir Jonathan Marsden
- Chris Michaels
- Kunle Olulode MBE
- Sue Wilkinson
- William Whyte
Senior Management Team
Dr Nick Merriman
Work for English Heritage
Interested in working for English Heritage? Search our jobs.
You might also like to know more about our equality and diversity policy.
GENDER PAY GAP
Like other large organisations, we’re legally required to report on the gender pay gap. It highlights differences in pay distribution between men and women across an organisation. It’s different to equal pay, which ensures men and women get paid the same for the same job. Instead, the gender pay gap records the average hourly difference in earnings between men and women.
See Our Report