Speakers

Kate is a UX designer with 14 years of experience working with organisations like the Natural History Museum, Sainsbury’s, and TUI. She is currently part of the eCommerce team at the Natural History Museum, designing accessible, user-friendly digital experiences that help visitors book tickets and shop online.

Celebrated for his entrepreneurial spirit and vision, Sanjay is co-founder of Spice Kitchen, a family-run business blending heritage, innovation and flavour, now a multi-award-winning brand stocked in 600+ retailers nationwide. Author of Spice Kitchen and Essential Spices for Dummies, Sanjay is also a mentor and Liverpool University board member.

Kirsty manages the continuous development of Amgueddfa Cymru’s CRM programme as well as overseeing ticketing, commercial platforms and data services across all seven museums across Wales. Kirsty has previously worked in ticketing management roles at Wales Millennium Centre and
Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

With a background in buying, brand development and product development for independent home, fashion and gift brands, Fi now manages the Cultural Enterprises Trade Show as well as developing member resources including the Retail Trend Report and Retail Sustainability Framework.

Edward has two decades’ experience of working within arts and culture environments. Prior to joining Thackray, he was Director of Engagement at Harewood House Trust, where he led the business through all aspects of audience engagement. He previously led the hugely successful rebrand of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO).

Rosie leads on earned income generation and the development of the building, operations and systems at the Foundling Museum. She is passionate about growing sustainable revenue streams while ensuring historic and mission-led unique venues remain welcoming, inclusive, resilient, and fit for the future.

Rod and his team provide expert advice and practical support to cultural enterprises to help plan, choose and implement the best technology to enhance visitor experience and maximise commercial benefit. Clients include Titanic Belfast, V&A, Lowry, National Maritime Museum, British Library, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Claire leads the development of commercially successful, mission-aligned product ranges across multiple retail channels. With extensive experience in cultural commerce, Claire specialises in creating thoughtful, story-driven ranges that connect with visitors in meaningful, engaging ways.

Passionate about developing F&B marketing plans that align with each client’s mission and values, Abby creates compelling, insight-driven offers and campaigns that increase footfall, dwell time, and spend per head. Working collaboratively with clients, she uses data, creativity, and commercial acumen to unlock the full potential of the F&B offer and deliver measurable growth.

With 40 years of commercial experience across retail, catering, publishing, licensing, front of house, tours, venue hire and wholesale, Perry’s career began in the high street, before taking up roles at National Portrait Gallery and Freemason’s Hall. He has also provided consultancy for Old Royal Naval College, Wellcome Collection and Winchester Cathedral and created courses for the Cultural Enterprises Academy.

Charlie is a digital product manager who has worked across a span of digital roles in the retail and culture industry. Her current role sees her managing the technology allowing visitors to buy tickets and shop online at one of the world’s most visited attractions, The Natural History Museum.

Rachel leads the retail operations across all Bath Heritage sites, overseeing buying, merchandising, shop floor presentation, and warehousing. She is responsible for signing off all product development, ensuring a distinctive and high-quality offer that reflects the spirit of the Roman Baths. Rachel manages a large and dynamic team and oversees significant budgets, driving commercial success and delivering strong profit through strategic retail planning and exceptional visitor experience.

Beth is a Founder Partner of Playful, A Creative Collective focused on Playful solutions through consultancy, activation and artist inspired products and principles. Beth’s expertise enriching playful environments has supported public, private and third sector organisations to deliver quality play. Her passion to Make it Playful has supported attractions to understand their play offer, delivering memorable experiences that draw visitors in time and time again. 

Ben leads iplicit’s partnerships team, bringing 27 years’ B2B experience across ERP and finance solutions including Exchequer, SAP & Asana. A 19-year veteran in channel leadership, Ben is focused on building and strengthening partner relationships to drive mutual success across iplicit’s growing ecosystem.

Lewis Dawson is CEO of Bookspeed, one of the few independent UK books wholesale businesses that curates, sources and supplies book ranges for a broad range of retailers including heritage and cultural retail.

Tom is Interim COO at the Association for Cultural Enterprises, with a particular focus on external relationships, sustainability, the Cultural Enterprises Academy and as a qualified coach, the mentoring programme. Tom also hosts the Arts & Culture podcast. Based in London, Tom previously worked at the National Theatre.

James is an award-winning Visitor Experience and Commercial Manager with a proven track record of enhancing venue hire and event delivery. At Shakespeare North Playhouse, he has played a key role in relaunching the catering and venue hire offer and implementing efficient processes.

James is Creative Director and Owner of Lumsden, renowned for award-winning retail and restaurant interiors at many of the world’s most iconic visitor destinations. His portfolio includes MoMA, British Museum, M+ Hong Kong, National Gallery, National Theatre, Warner Bros. Studio Tours & Harry Potter flagships, and Netflix House.

David’s career in hospitality began early, working across both front and back of house before moving into fine‑dining management with a strong focus on local and seasonal produce. David stewards the commercial and strategic development of the Trust’s food and drink offer, collaborating with suppliers to create products that celebrate place, provenance, and family‑run craft. His passion for Scotland’s food heritage shapes memorable visitor experiences.

Carolyn specialises in venue hire model strategic development, using sector knowledge to construct strategy for space-led income streams, including margin analysis, scalability, and values-led approaches. Recent publications include The Value of Venue Hire in Arts Professional, exploring how venue hire can build engagement pathways and create value for organisations.

As Managing Director of Wild Republic Retail, Jeremy has grown the business to operating shops in zoos and aquariums globally, while also sharing knowledge on a consultancy basis with visitor attractions. Previously he was Commercial Director at The Ashmolean, and Head of Retail and Licensing at the Natural History Museum.

As Director of Kiplin Hall and Gardens, James has overseen raising £2million in external funding and increasing visitor numbers to over 37,000. He is passionate about visitor experience and improving organisational sustainability to ensure a larger and more diverse range of people have enjoyable and educational experiences at organisations he leads.

Allison has over 15 years experience working in innovative cultural retail which includes running shops, developing retail models, championing makers, producing events, and writing and speaking about culture and retail. The award winning shop she previously ran at Fruitmarket was the inaugural recipient of the Cultural Enterprises Seeds of Change Prize, funding a retail model working with Scottish makers who create bespoke sustainable merchandise. 

Jake is responsible for the commercial visitor offering working closely with local partners to create memorable guided experiences for visitors. Previously, Jake has worked for the Science Museum Group and the London Museum and London Museum Docklands, helping to drive income generation and develop diverse and engaging tours programmes.

Gabriela has over two decades shaping customer experience and operational transformation across some of the UK’s most recognised institutions, including Royal Ballet & Opera, National Theatre, Barbican Centre, ATG Entertainment and now the House of Commons where she leads initiatives that modernise Parliament’s contact services and retail operation. Gabriela is known for clear leadership, strong delivery and a people-centred approach in complex public and cultural environments.

Alexander Goodger leads wine, whisky, gin, Champagne, sake and beer tastings at Stourbridge Glass Museum where he is director. In 2025 he was awarded Fundraiser of the Year.

Gus trained at Italia Conti Drama School, working across film, theatre, and television. Since joining Complete Works he has specialised in benchmarking performance, delivering ROI, and creating exceptional visitor experiences. Gus has led teams at the Natural History Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich and National Portrait Gallery.
Combining artistic insight with strategic leadership, Gus is driven by a passion for excellence, storytelling, and creating memorable experiences.

Paul brings nearly 30 years’ leadership experience across the heritage and visitor attractions sector. Previously Director of Painshill Park Trust, he has also overseen the flagship historic site of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, and held senior roles with English Heritage and the Mary Rose Trust. Paul was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business by Southampton Solent University for his services to tourism, heritage, and conservation. 

Mark is Associate Director at Timberplay, the UK’s leader in natural play space design. He supports projects across the UK, consistently delivering inspiring, landscape-integrated playgrounds. Mark’s passion for Timberplay began after visiting the Richter Spielgeräte workshop as a client, and this passion is now evident within his playful work.

David’s career has focussed on focused creating impactful, values-driven experiences delivered by passionate and engaged teams. Following senior roles at Historic Royal Palaces, The Landmark Trust and Tate, David now supports the recruitment of inspiring and thoughtful leaders across the sector.

Amberley balances client needs with rights holder requirements, clearing complex rights across multiple artist projects. With extensive experience managing copyright for museums and galleries, Amberley provides efficient, friendly service to clients including the Royal Academy, the Courtauld Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Penny leads the commercial teams responsible for driving profit through venue hire and retail sales at the Roman Baths, Pump Room, Guildhall, Victoria Art Gallery, and Baths Parks. Penny is also responsible for procuring and monitoring the catering contact at the Roman Baths & Pump Room, and ensuring an excellent experience and product offer for visitors in the on-site shops.

Julia has worked in retail for her entire career, previously at Eastern State Penitentiary and the Mütter Museum, and now at at the newly opened Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in Mantua, NJ. She is committed to advocating for museums with a niche focus and the value their stories bring to the museum store world. 

Denise plays a pivotal role in driving the success and growth of TBL International’s portfolio. Responsible for ensuring each venue operates smoothly, from daily logistics to large-scale events, her keen eye for detail and innovative approach to problem-solving enable her to tackle challenges head-on, ensuring that guests receive memorable and enjoyable experiences.

An unexpected lockdown love story changed the lives of Alex and Oli – aka The Crooked Men – as they met, married and moved to The Crooked House in Lavenham, Suffolk. Today, the Crooked Men share the story of their 600 year-old home through award-winning immersive experiences, attracting worldwide visitors.

Anya has supported 35+ cultural organisations to develop their commercial offers, in line with their core purpose. A specialist in museum retail, Anya works with a wide range of museums to reflect their collections throughout retail – from mentoring volunteer led organisations to strategy creation for national museums.

Kate’s career began in the commercial team at West Bromwich Albion Football Club before moving into venue hire and management of luxury overnight Safari Lodges at West Midlands Safari Park. She is now responsible for £4.4m of income across all food, drink and retail enterprise units, venue hire and filming at Black Country Living Museum.

Melanie brings extensive leadership experience in arts, culture, and visitor engagement. Previously an Executive Director at National Museums Liverpool and CEO at Shakespeare North Playhouse, she was instrumental in launching this pioneering cultural venue as a catalyst for community regeneration through arts and heritage.

Adam Lumb is Head of Commercial and IP at Royal Armouries, and a freelance consultant. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing with a deep love of brand and visual arts, he has worked for galleries, museums, theatre, film and TV, and now works alongside this as a consultant to package client’s brand stories.

Rachel oversees operational and experience delivery for visitors to Henry VIII’s iconic pleasure palace. Previously Rachel carved out a career developing and delivering the visitor experience in roles at Madame Tussauds, the Natural History Museum, and Kew Palace. Her first book, Delivering the Visitor Experience, was published in 2023.

Natalie is an experienced Editor and Creative Strategist with a background in writing, editing, and visual storytelling. In 2024 Natalie created Hold Everything, a social enterprise offering bespoke branded tote bags for businesses and events. Passionate about fashion, travel, and art, she brings creativity and a global perspective to building meaningful brand partnerships.

Katherine leads a small team to deliver the Museum’s mission to share the Brunel’s London story in Rotherhithe and beyond. She has over ten years experience with a specialism in learning and audience development. She has previously held roles at Imperial War Museums, Royal Museums Greenwich and the Royal Institution.

George brings a depth of experience in creativity, operations and delivery for heritage organisations.
A London drama school graduate, he has built a strong reputation across UK visitor attractions, designing and delivering complex, high-impact projects. His specialisms include staff training (bespoke/storytelling/sales), organisational change, staffing, increasing secondary spend, tour production, event and experience production and execution.

Lucy is a solicitor and a former barrister, and an Employment Partner at law firm Bates Wells. She has over 25 years of advising employers about workplace issues including worker status, employee disputes, discrimination, disciplinaries, grievances, restructures and absence management. She is also Chair of the whistleblowing charity Protect.

Alex has worked in retail management and training roles within the retail and aviation sectors across the UK for over four decades. He is passionate about working effectively and supportively with the Trust’s retail suppliers, developing a unique range of property bespoke products that have proved popular with visitors.

Transforming perceptions throughout his 35 year career in the creative industries, Andrew is recognised as one of the UK’s most influential disability advocates with extensive experience of the arts, film and tv sectors. His current portfolio of roles include: UK Arts Access Champion for All In – the national arts access scheme for disabled audiences; he is a trustee of BAFTA and Deputy Chair of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Kingston is responsible for innovating and leading customer touch points throughout BMT. His directorate includes all Trading Activity, Marketing, Digital, IT and Visitor Operations. He is at the forefront of ensuring that BMT can grow and evolve to best tell the stories of its collection and city as the cultural anchor for Birmingham.

Carl has over 10 years experience working in the heritage education sector and presently manages the award-winning Careers for All Programme at Leeds Museums and Galleries, which creates career aspiring activities for people with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Carl is a trustee for the sensory Theatre company Interplay and chairs the access panel for the national Discover Creative Careers programme.

Abbi is Visitor Attraction Director at Castle Howard, in North Yorkshire. Her role involves a broad range of responsibilities, but perhaps her favourite is heading up the annual Christmas season of events. Having worked in theatre for ten years, Abbi made the move to Castle Howard eight years ago.

Judith is Chief Executive of TBL International Ltd (TBL), the management company that operates Titanic Belfast, SS Nomadic and the Titanic Slipways. With over 30 years’ experience, Judith is one of the UK’s most accomplished leaders in Venue & Attractions Management, Tourism and Events. Under her leadership, since its opening in 2012 Titanic Belfast has welcomed more than 9.5 million visitors from 145 countries, won the title of World’s Leading Tourist Attraction, and been awarded two THEA Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

Having spent 20+ years working in senior management positions for some of the high street’s most recognisable brands, Catherine now manages retail operations and development at Amgueddfa Cymru. She is currently leading a transformation project to create immersive retail experiences in each of the museum shops.

Nicola is a strategic business development leader specialising in commercial growth, partnership building and audience‑focused innovation within cultural and community‑driven environments. Her work focuses on aligning revenue generation with meaningful visitor engagement, strengthening organisational culture, and unlocking new opportunities that enhance both commercial performance and social impact.

Over the last 15 years, Olly has built vast experience in tourism and culture brands from start-ups, in-house teams, and now, Navigate. Olly is the driving force behind Navigate’s growth and supports Navigate’s clients in developing their digital presence and solidifying commercial evolution while expanding Navigate’s impact in the industry.

Angus is a Senior Key Account Manager for Bookspeed. He has been supporting retailers to identify the right books for their product ranges for more than 20 years. He has worked with National Trust sites, zoos and visitor attractions, Westmoreland services, the Natural History Museum and more.

Caroline sets the strategic direction for all commercial income streams across the National Trust for Scotland. Having previously worked in high street retail for over 20 years in various leadership roles, it was the opportunity to combine her commercial skills and knowledge with raising vital funds to support the charity that first attracted Caroline to make the move into the cultural and heritage sector. Caroline is also Vice Chair of the Board at Craft Scotland.

As Sustainability Manager for Heritage Services, Amber delivers the environmental strategy for the Roman Baths. Her work focuses on cutting carbon emissions, delivering a net zero roadmap, and strengthening climate resilience across all areas of The Roman Baths from retail to operations. Amber ensures sustainability is embedded in decision-making while safeguarding the historic significance of the site.

Genevieve joined the WI in 2025 having previously spent 11 years at the National Trust as Publishing & Books Manager and a Buyer, gaining experience in commercial strategy and brand development. She oversees commercial partnerships and business development, ensuring the WI’s continued growth while upholding its core values.

As a designer maker, Rebecca’s work has exhibited across Europe, US and China. Her enthusiasm to encourage others to learn and be creative led to the position as Course Director at the School of Jewellery. As a designer maker, course leader and active member of the UK’s craft industry she has a unique perspective on the future of ‘the crafts’.

After 16 years living the realities of month‑end, Catherine Thompson swapped doing the work for transforming how it’s done. A CIMA‑qualified accountant turned Solutions Consultant at iplicit, she now helps cultural organisations escape clunky legacy systems and adopt modern, automated finance workflows that free teams to focus on their mission.

Sarah plays a key role in delivering exceptional service and supporting operational improvements within UK Parliament. With a strong focus on team development and customer experience, Sarah ensures that processes run smoothly and that every interaction reflects the highest standards of service. Clear communication and a vision for service excellence define Sarah’s leadership approach.

Katherine joined HRP in 2016, and has worked in a variety of roles, from front of house to managing events. Now as Visitor Experience Officer, Katherine advocates for visitors across all six palaces. Her work focuses on feedback, visitor engagement training and improving the visitor journey.

As Head of Publishing, Lydia oversees a vibrant list showcasing the fantastic world of plants and fungi, Kew’s collections, and the vital work of Kew’s scientists and horticulturists. The Kew list includes everything from academic titles through to practical guides, art monographs, exhibition catalogues, guidebooks, cookbooks, gift books, and much more.

Lucy has over 15 years’ experience driving income growth across leading cultural institutions including Imperial War Museums and the Natural History Museum. With a track record of doubling profits, she brings expertise in strategic event delivery, audience engagement, and income generation, helping organisations rethink how they engage audiences to boost income.