Candidate Brief

Trustees & Non-Executive Director Museums Trust

July 2021

Disclaimer Please note that York Museums Trust believes that while the information contained in this document is true to the best of the Trust’s knowledge at the time of writing, such information may change without notice. Further, the information therein is the property of the Trust and must not be passed onto third parties, published or attributed unless explicitly agreed.

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Contents

Background 3

The Role of Trustees 8

Description of Skills and Abilities 9

Time Commitment and Term of Office 9

How to Apply 10

Appendix I: Trustees 11

The Good Board

The Good Board are supporting York Museums Trust on the appointment of 3 new Trustees and a Non-Executive Director.

Initial discussions will be with The Good Board, with interviews and further discussions taking place with York Museums Trust directly.

In the first instance please contact:

Louise Gatenby [email protected] Lexie Sims [email protected] Shivani Patel [email protected]

The Good Board is a purpose-led executive search and leadership development firm and works with responsible organisations and their leadership teams to accelerate positive change towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. We are delighted to partner with York Museums Trust and support their cultural and community ambitions.

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Background

York Museums Trust, one of the most successful leading regional Museums and Gallery services in the UK, is seeking to appoint three new Trustees to its Board from the Autumn of 2021.

York Museums Trust was formed on 1 August 2002 as an independent charitable trust to manage the museums and gallery service previously run by City of York Council. All the collections are designated and include Art, Science, History and Archaeology. Prior to the pandemic the museums and galleries attracted about 500,000 visitors each year with an additional c1.2m visits to the Museum Gardens.

The Trust is responsible for:

York Art Gallery

York Art Gallery is one of the best regional galleries in the country, with a nationally significant collection spanning 600 years. These range from 14th Century Italian panels and 17th Century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th Century works by LS Lowry and . A refurbishment in 2015 saw public space increase by more than 60 per cent and created an appropriate home for the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) which displays the gallery's world-class collection of British studio pottery.

A bold and award-winning exhibition programme has brought brilliant art to York, displayed in innovative and creative ways. Recent highlights include The BFG in Pictures, When All is Quiet : Kaiser Chiefs in Conversation with York Art Gallery, Ruskin, Turner & The Storm Cloud and Sounds Like Her - Gender, sound art and sonic cultures.

The gallery is the host venue for the Aesthetica Art Prize and an integral part of York Mediale, the biannual international media arts festival.

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York Castle Museum

Housed in a former Debtors’ Prison and an adjoining women’s prison, was founded by Dr John Kirk in 1938 and is home to his extraordinary collection of social history, reflecting everyday life. Investment in the Museum over recent years has refurbished the display galleries on the first floor of the Museum dedicated to the history of the First World War. A much loved Museum, York Castle Museum is a key player in the plans being developed by York City Council with English Heritage to completely re-develop the Castle Area of the City, including Clifford's Tower. This will create an ambitious opportunity further to develop the Castle Museum and the surrounding area with a major capital project, probably developed in phases as fund-raising progresses.

Yorkshire Museum

The Museum, set in ten acres of Museum Gardens, was founded in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. it has also been subject to major refurbishment in recent years, re- opening in 2010 after a £2 million investment. With five galleries showcasing some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures and many rare animals, birds and fossils, the Museum houses the archaeological, geological and natural history collections of the Trust.

Highlights of the archaeological collections include the Roman statue of Mars, the best example of 3D Roman sculpture ever found in Britain, the York Helmet and the stunning Middleham Jewel. One of the most remarkable recent acquisitions is the 800 year old figure of Christ which originally belonged to the monks of St Mary’s Abbey. After 200 years of absence, it is now on display in the which is within the precinct of the Abbey.

The Yorkshire Museum remains at the forefront of archaeological discovery, working with academics and universities to shed new light on the collections in our care. This includes the partnership with the team excavating the Early Mesolithic site at Star Carr in North Yorkshire which led to the Museum acquiring an 11,000 year old engraved shale pendant.

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York Museum Gardens

The Gardens, which are listed and registered as a place of special scientific interest, were in 2015/2016 extended to the land behind York Art Gallery, creating an additional 4 acres of beautiful, high quality public space in the city centre, adding to the cultural life of the city and the opportunity which this outdoor space affords for events which add to the City's visitor offer. The extension means that the Yorkshire Museum and York Art Gallery are linked for the first time via a new “Artists’ Garden”, reuniting the St Mary's Abbey precinct.

Within the Museum Gardens is the 14th century Hospitium, overlooked by the ruins of St Mary's Abbey which provides an excellent venue for weddings, conferences and events and which is an important source of revenue for the Museum Trust. Other parts of the YMT Estate are also made available for hire when practicable, also contributing to the income-generating potential of YMT.

York St Mary’s

A deconsecrated medieval church, situated in Coppergate, was used as York Art Gallery’s contemporary art venue while it was undergoing refurbishment. In recent years St Mary’s has been used by the Trust for specialist exhibitions, as a hub for public consultation around the Castle Gateway proposals and also let to an arts experience company who have used it as the setting for a Van Gogh Experience.

Collections

The Collections of York Museums Trust cover a broad spectrum of subject matter including: archaeology, biology, costume and textiles, decorative arts, fine art, geology, military history, numismatics, photography and social history. The Trust is one of just a handful of UK

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regional museum services which has all its collections designated, and these include the most representative collection of British Studio Ceramics in the UK.

The Trust continues an active programme to grow the collections in its care. The Trust actively lends works to museums in the UK and internationally.

Other Matters

YMT has an excellent track record in its learning and engagement activity - from formal education workshops for schools to family learning to activities and events for a broader public. Reaching out to communities, bringing opportunity to those, for example, with mental health issues or who are homeless are all part of YMT's imaginative programming.

YMT is also recognised as a UK leader in digital engagement, promoting digital access both to its own collections and across the museums sector. For example, the Trust has worked actively with major digital platforms, including Wikimedia UK. YMT’s award winning social media strategy has grown an international audience, with #CuratorBattle, an online Twitter event held regularly throughout the pandemic, being seen by 6.2 million people and generating news coverage around the world.

YMT's Purpose and Activities

Mission York Museums Trust shares collections, gardens, buildings, art and stories for learning, enjoyment and wellbeing. Rooted in York and Yorkshire, we look outwards nationally and globally. As a charity, our income enables the Trust to care for heritage and to benefit all.

Vision To work together with audiences and communities to inspire, to share and to care for cultural heritage.

Our priorities are:

• Survive the Covid-19 crisis and work together with audiences and communities to recover and rebuild

• Deliver innovative public programming which supports an audience-focused, inclusive, visitor-first approach

• Progress two capital projects: the Castle Transformation Project and the Collections Development and Storage Project

• Increase our resilience by expanding enterprises and fundraising activities, investing in our people, and caring for our environment

• Improve York and York Museums Trust’s profiles through local, regional, national and international leadership and partnership to maximise YMT’s impact.

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Funding and Organisation

Funding

Prior to the pandemic York Museums Trust had an annual unrestricted income of c£6.0m and was, and remains, an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation. The Trust is also a Sector Support Organisation, delivering Museum Development Yorkshire, with funds also granted by ACE (2018 until 2022). This service provides information, advice, guidance and consultancy to small and medium sized accredited museums across Yorkshire and Humberside, one of nine providers delivering comprehensive support to Museums In England.

The Trust benefits from funding from York City Council, with an annual contribution of c£300,000. The Council also provided further support during the pandemic.

During the pandemic the Trust’s museums were closed. Various sums of emergency funding were received including two significant grants from the Culture Recovery Fund. In addition, City of York Council have been extremely supportive and have, now over two financial years, provided credit cover to the Trust. This financial support, coupled with a significant redundancy programme, have enabled the Trust to survive the financial devastation wrought on the cultural attracts and events sector by the pandemic.

The single most important source of income, prior to the pandemic, came from ticket sales and the associated Gift Aid and although there was a dip on the re-opening of York City Art Gallery as a charging museum, opposition to the charges dissipated quickly. The pandemic has provided the Trust with an opportunity to rethink aspects of its operating model and current plans involve guided tour groups within York Castle Museum and the Yorkshire Museum with York City Art Gallery free for access to the core collection but with charges for exhibitions. A new set of “season ticket” pricing is to be introduced shortly alongside the introduction of a Patrons Scheme.

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The Trust also has a well-established trading subsidiary company, York Museums Enterprises which pre-pandemic contributed c. £300k per year in profit from retail, venue hire and concessions and with the new opportunities provided by recent capital investment, is seen as an important area for future growth and development for YMT.

In the future and in line with the ambitions of the Trust, fund-raising is going to be a very significant factor in the Trust’s development plans involving not just Trusts & Foundations and public bodies but also private donors - an area in which the Trust has made a recent investment in new expertise

Organisation

YMT has a loyal and committed staff of c 85 (fte). The Executive team is led by the Chief Executive, Reyahn King who was appointed in 2015 and who is responsible to the Board for the effective running of the organisation, supported by the Head of Strategy, Finance & Corporate Services and members of the Senior Management Team. There is also a very active volunteers scheme (pauSed during Covid) with c350 volunteers working with the organisation at any one time, providing invaluable support to the work of the Trust, its education and outreach programmes.

The Trust is governed by the Trust Board, chaired by James Grierson BLE DipM MBA FRICS. More information on the governance of York Museums Trust is in the next section.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Trust is actively and positively committed to make itself ever more fully engaged with all parts of the community it serves, including especially those groups who have not, historically, been much involveds with the Trust’s work. This applies to both audiences and staff and the Trust is currently implementing a programme of measures following an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion audit carried out by the trustees within the last year.

For further information on York Museums Trust, please go to www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk and https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/about-us/our-people/annual-reports-and-reviews/

The Role of Trustees

The Board of York Museums Trust comprises 15 Trustees including the Chair who leads the Nominations Committee and the search towards the appointment of two new Trustees and a non- executive member of subsidiary company York Museums Enterprises. The Board has two members who are nominated by York City Council and one member nominated by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society; the list of current Board members is attached at Appendix 1.

The Board meets six times per year while five Trustees meet monthly with the Chief Executive and the Head of Strategy, Finance & Operations as the Finance & General Purposes Committee. Other sub- committees of the Board are Audit & Risk, Remuneration and Nominations and there is an Annual Away Day to discuss the strategic direction of the Trust. Ad hoc - Task and Finish Groups - are established as required.

Trustees are non-executive and receive no remuneration although can claim expenses.

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Trustees have an important role to play as representatives and advocates of the Trust, enhancing its public profile and helping to ensure support and funding from both public and private sector sources. They have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the Trust, for making sure it is solvent and sustainable, well run and delivering the outcomes for which it was established. They also contribute their expertise and experience in advising on policy and development of the organisation, assessing risk and supporting the Chief Executive and senior staff to whom operational management is delegated.

Specifically, the Board of Trustees

• Approves the overall strategic direction of the Trust, setting policy, defining objectives, setting targets and evaluation performance; • Ensures that the Articles of Association, charity and company law and other regulatory requirements are properly adhered to; • Is active in supporting the work of the Trust’s various committees; • Takes responsibility for the financial stability of the organisation and its future sustainability through careful attention to budgeting and resource issues, capital programmes and funding issues; • Provides constructive support and challenge to the Executive team; • Oversees the recruitment on the CEO.

Description of Skills and Abilities

York Museums Trust currently has three vacancies for new Trustees and one for a non-executive director of York Museums Enterprises, succeeding three Trustees , and non-executive director who will retire from the Board in November 2021. The Trust is looking for candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds with skills and abilities to complement those of existing Trustees and to be able to contribute to the Board as it looks forward to a future of continuing change, ambition and development. They will be people who can empathise and contribute to the Trust's local, national

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and international profile and whose experience can support the Trust in continuing to develop its business model.

All Trustees should be able to demonstrate the following:

• A strong enthusiasm for York Museums Trust, what it does, and its future ambitions; also a commitment to its vision and values, including as a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

• The ability to bring new networks of engagement to the Trust to expand its footprint in York and the Region and to help with the attraction of new sponsorship and profile locally, nationally and/or internationally;

• A good understanding of the principles of corporate governance;

• Integrity, relevant experience and the ability to contribute effectively as a Board member.

In addition, York Museums Trust welcomes applications from candidates who have strong experience in the following areas which, for convenience, we have grouped in three broad activity clusters:

• Commercial, business, finance, entrepreneurial, possibly with experience of attractions and events, retail or leisure.

• Marketing, communications, possibly including digital

• Community leadership, advocacy and networking, possibly with perspectives on well-being and social prescribing, potentially with a background in education or HR in a not for profit environment

These cluster descriptions are indicative. The Trust recognises that valuable perspectives may be present in different combinations of roles and experiences.

The new trustees and YME non-executive director will potentially have networks of contacts that can assist the Trust in increasing its fund-raising potential. Candidates who have experience of leading, delivering or being part of a team or board that has delivered a significant capital project or change programme would also be welcomed.

In making these new appointments, the Nominations Panel will also have in mind the eligibility of new candidates to be considered for the role of Chair when James Grierson steps down in 2024. They will therefore also want to consider candidates with the leadership experience borne of having led an organisation or part of an organisation within the mix of skills and experience that they seek.

Time Commitment and Term of Office

The time commitment for Trustees is estimated to be about one day a month but, of course, the ability to make more time for the informal parts of the Trustee role - not least attending previews of major exhibitions and other meetings, for example with City of York Council - is an important factor in recruiting new Trustees.

Appointments are made for a 3-year period, renewable for a further three years. The position of Trustee is unpaid but reasonable expenses may be claimed.

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How to Apply

To discuss this role and for further information, following a discussion with The Good Board, please contact:

James Grierson, Chair [email protected]

York Museums Trust’s HR team [email protected]

To register your interest in this opportunity, you are asked to submit:

• A copy of your CV or biographical details;

• A statement of interest indicating why you are interested and what you are able to bring to York Museums Trust;

• Completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.

We can only receive applications electronically.

Please e-mail applications to: [email protected]

Applications need to arrive by the close of business on Monday 30th August 2021, the closing date for applications.

All applications will be acknowledged on receipt. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 5 working days or if you have any questions regarding the application process, please e-mail [email protected].

Please note that York Museums Trust cannot be held responsible for the non-delivery or late receipt of applications. We expect to be able to inform applicants by Friday 3rd September whether or not they are being taken forward to interview. Interviews will take place on Friday 10th September 2021.

Two trustees were appointed in 2020 during lockdown and at that stage interviews were conducted online. If it proves necessary we may switch to online interviews but at this stage we envisage that interviews will take place, in person in York.

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Appendix I: Trustees

James Grierson (Chair) Chartered Surveyor. Chair of the Institute of Conservation (Icon), Vice Chair RICS Benevolent Fund, Council Member Durham University, Trustee of York Consortium for Conservation & Craftsmanship

Dianne Willcocks Former Vice Chancellor, York St John University

David Andrews * Partner, Impakt2

Councillor Simon Daubneey York City Council

Sarah Drummond* Owner, Sarah Drummond Consultancy

Mary Haworth Director of the Office of Philanthropy, Partnerships and Alumni , University of York

Richard Jagger* Director, Water Fulford Ltd, Director, The Rowntree Society

Philip Ashton Chair of Audit & Risk Committee. Chartered Accountant.

Andrew Scott Former Chief Executive of Science Museum Group. York Philosophical Society nominee.

Miranda Lowe Senior Curator & Scientist, Natural History Museum

Scott Furlong Museums sector advisor. Former Direct of Museums, Arts Council for England.

Dr Angela Dean Chair of Capital Projects Committee. Former investment banker.

Councillor Danny Myers York City Council

* Denotes trustee stepping down in November 2021.

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Appendix II: CEO

Reyahn King became Chief Executive of York Museums Trust in 2015 and is responsible for the strategic leadership of the Trust and its trading subsidiary.

Reyahn joined York Museums Trust from Heritage Lottery Fund where she had been Head of HLF West Midlands and was previously Director of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool. Reyahn began her career as a curator of art at Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery.

Reyahn is a Fellow of the Museums Association and a Clore Fellow. She holds MA degrees in History of Art and Modern History.

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