In a busy start to 2012 for the museums and heritage sector, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) have announced that Dr Manon Williams will join the Board as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Committee for Wales, while it has also been announced that Tony Hill is to step down as Director of Manchester’s Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI).
Dr Williams will take over from Dan Clayton Jones - who steps down after seven years - and join the 15-strong Board of Trustees, which includes leading figures from the heritage sector.
A former Chairman of The Prince’s Trust Cymru and Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company, she has also has served on the advisory boards of the Philharmonia Orchestra and Welsh National Opera.
Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that Tony Hill is to step down as Director of MOSI following the recent announcement of the merger between NMSI (National Museum of Science & Industry) and MOSI.
Tony has been with MOSI since 2005. During his time as Director he has overseen many significant commercial and brand developments at MOSI, including the successful £9 million redevelopment of Great Western Warehouse, which includes the new Experiment! and Revolution Manchester galleries.
Since the reopening, MOSI has enjoyed record visitor numbers, greatly improved revenue generation and won numerous awards culminating in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year for 2011.
Commenting on his departure, he said: “I have loved working at MOSI with the fantastic team and ensuring that visitors enjoy their visit to one of Manchester’s greatest cultural spaces. However, I now believe the time is right to move on.
“I look forward to witnessing the museum’s continued success in the future within the NMSI family of museums.”
Ian Blatchford, Director of NMSI said: “I thoroughly value the contribution which Tony has made to the success of MOSI over the past six years and wish him great success in the future.
"We look forward to working with our colleagues at MOSI to celebrate Manchester’s great contribution to the world of science and industry and communicate this to a wider and more diverse audience.”
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Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) will join the National Museum of Science and Industry group (NMSI) in the new year to create a group that boasts visitor numbers of five million.
