2024 Speakers

Amy has worked in the museum and heritage sector for 10 years, with roles at Imperial War Museums, Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, V&A South Kensington and now at the newly opened Young V&A. Amy loves talking all things visitor experience, operational planning and queues.

Emma is Head of Commercial Services for the National Museum of the Royal Navy with responsibility for all trading activities including Retail, Venue Hire, Catering, Publishing, Licensing and Experiences. She previously led the Commercial teams at Southwark
Cathedral and The Postal Museum.

Fi is responsible for our Trade Show and also puts together the Retail Trends Report. With a background in sustainable product, brand and business development she loves learning about the brilliant work from our network of creative commercial teams. 

Hayley has been a project manager at Supercool since January 2022. Her role is to oversee new project builds, including every phase of the build, from the initial discovery sessions, through the design of the new site and hitting the button to go live!

Rod and his team provide expert advice and practical support to help cultural venues plan, choose and implement the best technology to enhance visitor experience and maximise commercial benefit. Rod has advised many organisations including V&A, The Lowry, National Maritime Museum, The British Library, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Julia began her career in Arts Marketing working at New Theatre, Cardiff, Northern Ballet, and Warwick Arts Centre before returning home to Cardiff to take up the post of Head of Marketing at Sherman Theatre. In 2016 Julia was appointed to the role of Executive Director/CEO of Sherman Theatre. She is also a Trustee of the Aloud Charity.

Following 30 years in commercial sales and management roles, Toby joined the British Motor Museum team in 2019. He relishes both the challenges and the rewards of working for a charitable organisation, and finds that the positive impact that the museum has on individuals is a huge motivator. Just don’t ask him any difficult car questions!

Conall is a senior leader with seven years’ experience in commercial development and general management in the arts and hospitality. He is passionate about finding creative solutions and is excited to share his insights at the Cultural Enterprises Conference.

Caroline previously worked as a teacher followed by a 16 year stint in the wine business before joining the cultural sector in 2005. After eight years as Head of Commerce at Royal Museums Greenwich, she joined the British Library and is also Chair of the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

Katherine is the Tech Champion for eCommerce at The Digital Culture Network, Arts Council England, supporting the arts and cultural sector. She is the ex-Trading Director of Emma Bridgewater and ex-eCommerce Director of Mountain Warehouse. She has a wealth of experience across digital, retail and strategy.

Prior to his current role at Amgueddfa Cymru, Corey spent a decade working in arts and performance venues including the Torch Theatre, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Sherman Theatre, across roles in Front of House, Marketing, Programming, Producing and Venue Hire.

Currently Commercial Manager at The Cartoon Museum, Holly has previously worked at The Roald Dahl Museum and The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. She is also the co-Director of Illustrators’ Fair and runs creative workshops for adults and children on a freelance basis. She loves making nice things, sustainability and working with creative talent.

Indigo’s purpose is to empower the cultural sector to make meaningful change by better understanding and connecting with audiences. The team all have a background working in cultural organisations, and work together to provide audience insight, research, evaluation and strategic planning for individual organisations and the sector as a whole. Flo joined Indigo to help deliver the award-winning After the Interval research into the impact of Covid on cultural audiences. She has led Indigo’s sector-wide Act Green research into audience attitudes towards the climate emergency for the last two years.

Having founded Supercool in 2004 James has been the driving force behind its growth into a well-respected digital design agency with a reputation for inclusive design, smart use of tech, and great customer service. With a keen interest in design and development, James works across the Supercool team and directly with clients, helping identify and resolve challenges with great-looking, highly functional websites.

Bob has been Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust since the royal yacht first arrived in Edinburgh in May 1998. Career highlights include
Britannia officially being Scotland’s best visitor attraction for 14 years running, and converting the former Northern Lighthouse Board ship Fingal into a luxurious ‘boatique’ hotel that is currently AA Hotel of the Year – Scotland, and was Pride of Britain’s Hotel of the Year 2022/23.

With a degree in Art History & Museum and Gallery Studies and almost a decade of experience as a freelance marketing consultant and small business owner, Rosie now finds herself in what she calls her ‘destiny role’ as Amguedda Cymru – Museum Wales’ first Commercial Marketing Officer.

Nia Elias is a strategic leader responsible for all things reputation, reach and revenue for Wales’s family of national museums, Amgueddfa Cymru. Nia has over 20 years experience working, living
and breathing the culture sector in London and Wales.

Allison has worked in both curatorial and cultural retail settings, and currently employs both skill sets at the Fruitmarket Gallery where she oversees the bookshop, publishing programme distribution, events and limited edition art sales. She is also a writer, stylist and consultant, styling events, people and retail spaces.

Catherine was appointed CEO of AVEA, the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions, in 2022. AVEA represents over 120 attractions on the island of Ireland. Catherine previously worked with the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and the Incoming Tour Operators Association, as well as holding senior sales and marketing roles in the hotel sector. She sits on several tourism industry advisory groups, and is the Chair of the Five Lamps Arts Festival.

Nigel has over 30 years’ experience in the garment decoration and design industry, supplying printed and embroidered products to cultural enterprises. He works with clients to provide various packaging, display, labelling, and finishing options, including a growing offer of sustainable options to deliver the perfect retail solution.

Amy’s career started in television production, training at the BBC before delivering several landmark series for major broadcasters. She works across the brand licensing, publishing and picture library functions at the Science Museum Group, based at the National Science & Media Museum in Bradford.

Matthew is a trustee of the Association for Cultural Enterprises (representing Durham Cathedral) and works freelance across the sector. He supports various organisations with visitor experience and commercial development including The Alnwick Garden, Museum Wales, Tullie, Black Country Living Museum and Hopetown Darlington. He was named
Rising Star and Overall Winner in the 2022 Cultural Enterprises Awards.

Colleen is Deputy Director for Visitor Experience at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. She is passionate about leading and developing strong teams, connecting people with museums, and facilitating great experiences for all visitors. One of her proudest accomplishments is creating the museum’s gallery host program, replacing traditional security officers in the galleries with a welcoming team that blends security, service and engagement. She is the author of Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museum Professionals, a book published through the American Alliance of Museums.

Olivia is the Director of Commercial and Operations for Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Olivia leads the Commercial and Operational teams, and is responsible for the strategic development of the Trust’s commercial offer as well as the wider visitor experience and operation. With over 15 years of experience within the culture and heritage sector, Olivia has an extensive commercial and operational background, as well as a keen passion for the industry.

With 15+ years’ experience in the sector, Lucy has held a number of senior roles responsible for income generation, visitor experience and projects across a range of castles, palaces and stately homes. Lucy started at English Heritage in the Events Department, working her way up to Historic Properties Director – London & East before becoming Head of Hampton Court Palace and then joining Leeds Castle as Commercial Operations Director.

Ann Morrow Johnson is Executive Portfolio Producer for Disneyland Resort, helping to craft the next generation of experiential creative ideas and make them a reality. Previously, she oversaw Creative Development and Blue Sky for Walt Disney Imagineering, guiding the studio responsible for development and creative ideation of all new guest facing experiences across Disney Parks & Resorts globally.

Dean Johnson is shaping the connected future for the Film, TV, Automotive, Publishing, Music, Education and Leisure sectors with the emphasis on user experience and engagement. Pushing boundaries in design and technology, Dean spent 48 hours in Virtual Reality in 2017 and is developing a full body XR Immersion Suit. He’s already living in the future and delivering Jetpack Moments.

Rob runs Heritage Digital, Winner of Best Supplier in the 2023 Cultural Enterprises Awards. The company specialises in product design, print on demand, small-run product manufacture and also provides all of the technology needed to make those services available to its clients. Working with the cultural sector for over 20 years and providing all print on demand production and fulfilment services for the Art UK shop since its pilot launch in 2016, Heritage Digital is a truly sustainable business committed to minimising its impact on the environment.

Mike has been helping businesses to drive income generation for 30 years. A neuroeconomics student, Mike is the creator of the ABCD Model of Human Behaviour, and the 2013/14 British Sales Trainer of the Year. His models help businesses to align their approach to buying behaviour.

With over 20 years experience running businesses across the events, hospitality and leisure sectors, Graham is Co-founder and Managing Director at Wake The Tiger, a business which creates Amazement Parks®; immersive experiences that combine purpose, storytelling and art. It is important to Graham to be building towards a sustainable world and a society in harmony with nature, equitable and fair.

Charlie has an extensive background in commercial development for cultural venues across the UK, with experience across retail, catering, visitor experience, events, development and more. He is currently at Brighton & Hove Museums, a group of five sites including Brighton’s iconic Royal Pavilion & Garden.

Sarah was engaged as the first CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse in May 2017. Since taking on the role she has established a successful trading company, and launched the Wentworth Woodhouse Masterplan “A New Life” which details the £130 million regeneration programme for the site. She has since successfully raised and managed over £30m worth of restoration and repair at the site.

Zak is Co-CEO at Birmingham Museums Trust and was previously Head of Transformation at Bristol City Council for the Culture & Creative Industries service. When not solving problems where people, culture and technology meet, Zak can be found spending time with his family or riding his motorcycle.

Katie joined Tullie in 2019 after working in the sport industry for 12 years. Currently Interim Head of Operations, her experience has always been within the hospitality and events sector working on large scale and smaller events and experiences.

Julie is a consultant with over 30 years’ experience in commercial transformation within cultural organisations. Until late 2023 Julie was Managing Director of National Gallery Global in London and previously held several roles in arts and business at The Royal Academy, The Royal Collection and C&A UK. She has also held many trustee positions including with the Association for Cultural Enterprises, the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, London and has most recently been appointed as a Trustee of the Watts Gallery and Artists’ Village. Julie is also a lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

With responsibility for the overall operational and strategic leadership of Cultural Enterprises, Gordon is passionate about helping cultural venues to develop and thrive. He has a wealth of experience in culture, tourism and hospitality, having previously headed up ASVA, as well as roles at VisitScotland and Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.

Samantha began her career in the cultural sector as a Theatre Administrator before moving to Australia as Operations Manager at Melbourne Theatre Company and Front of House Manager at the National Gallery of Victoria. She joined the Royal Opera House five years ago.

Anthony Rawlins is the driving force behind Navigate – a leading consultancy dedicated to steering tourism organisations towards local and global growth. With a legacy spanning over two decades, he has championed numerous organisations worldwide, aiding them in crafting their unique success stories. Anthony is renowned for his keen foresight, making him a sought after keynote speaker for trend predictions and invaluable insights.

Yolande is an economist and foresight researcher. She advises several museums in the Netherlands on creating a healthy, regenerative retail model and mission-driven products. She believes in connecting with nature and the power of the collective – ‘Give nature a seat at the board. Together we can create a liveable planet’.

Georgia is Volunteer Programme Manager at the Royal Opera House and has previously managed volunteer programmes at the NHS, Guide Dogs, and National Galleries of Scotland. She specialises in devising and implementing new volunteer-led services that deliver mutual benefit to organisations and volunteers. Alongside her role at ROH, Georgia
also practises as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.

Formerly a Buyer responsible for various product ranges including Artisan and Craft, Souvenir, Experience Days, Local Products, Open Calls and Competitions, Genevieve’s passion for storytelling has been invaluable in her mission to connect people with the National Trust’s rich heritage, people and places.

Kirsty has over 10 years’ experience in commercial management, primarily within the museum sector. She has previously worked in Retail and Admissions, Operations and Finance. She is currently Senior Operations and Commercial Manager at the newly opened Young V&A.

Simon leads on product definition, and the interface between customers, value added partners and development. He previously worked in Product and Business Development, Key Account Management and other areas across various vertical markets including Themed Entertainment, Museums, Attractions and Events.

Kath joined Tate St Ives as Head of Strategy and Business Planning in January 2023. Trained as an archaeologist, she has spent most of her career working in museums in a range of roles, including curatorial positions, collections management, project management and more recently as a Centre Manager and Museum Director.

Nik has led the digital transformation of the Tank Museum, creating an industry-leading strategy in the development and monetisation of a global online community. The Tank Museum tells the story of the tank and the people who served in them, with a vast collection ranging from WWI to the present day.