PRESS RELEASE : New Chair appointed to Historic England [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 9 August 2023.
The Secretary of State has appointed Neil Mendoza as the new Chair of Historic England for a term of four years commencing 01 September 2023.
Lord Neil Mendoza
Appointed from 01 September 2023 until 31 August 2027.
Lord Mendoza was appointed Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, in 2018, following a career building businesses in the creative and finance sectors. He is focused on successfully sustaining Oriel’s 700-year history for the College’s 550 students and 250 academic and support staff.
Lord Mendoza was previously the government’s Commissioner for Culture and chaired the Culture and Heritage Capital Board at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Prior to that, he served four years as a non-executive director at DCMS. He is Chair of The Illuminated River Foundation, Chair of Civic Future and on the board of the Ashmolean Museum. He is a member of the House of Lords.
Prior to joining Oriel College, Neil led the year-long Mendoza Review of Museums in England on behalf of DCMS (2016-17). He was formerly Chair of Children and the Arts, Vice Chair of Soho Theatre, and Chair of The Landmark Trust (2011-2021). He joined the Board of MeiraGTx, a US-based gene therapy company, in 2015. He co-founded Forward Publishing in the late 1980s, now a part of WPP plc.
Lord Mendoza is an advocate of building and supporting talent, creativity and enterprise through high quality educational, cultural and heritage engagement. He is a mentor to young professionals across a range of sectors. He graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with an MA in Geography.
Remuneration and Governance Code
The Chair of Historic England is remunerated £40,000 per annum. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Lord Mendoza declared that he takes the Conservative Whip in the House of Lords.
