British Museum x4 Trustees

Organisation Description

The British Museum is an exempt charity and Non–Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Museum seeks four new Trustees for appointment by the Prime Minister.

Established by Act of Parliament in 1753, the British Museum is the oldest national public museum in the world. Its mission is to house, curate, conserve, research and exhibit a collection of world cultures. With a collection totalling eight million objects, the British Museum is unique in bringing together under one roof the cultures of the world, which allows us to explore the extraordinary diversity of human culture, to discover the many forms and expressions human beings have given to every aspect of life, and to realise how closely they are interconnected.

In 2024/25, its iconic home in Bloomsbury received 6.5 million visitors, while a further 8 million people saw objects from the British Museum’s collection elsewhere in the UK, thanks to nearly 2,000 object loans to institutions around the country, including partner organisations and community groups with whom the Museum co-curates the display of loaned objects.

In addition to the audiences in London and around the UK, the Museum has deep connections with museums, collections and communities around the globe. In 2024/25 it loaned nearly 1,500 objects internationally and worked with partners from Iraq to Nigeria to Tahiti, helping to ensure that the Museum remains a museum in and of the world.

Like many major museums, the British Museum has faced significant challenges in recent years. As we move towards its 275th anniversary in 2028, however, the Museum is entering into an exciting new era with a long-term masterplan to renew and rethink how we tell the common story of human culture by revitalising the Museum estate and improving how visitors experience the collection in London, across the UK, and around the world.

Person specification

Essential criteria

All Successful Candidates Are Expected To Demonstrate

• Equality, diversity and inclusion: A commitment to promoting and widening access to the British Museum collection for everyone, considering the needs of all visitors/users, with a purpose of fostering greater social cohesion; access and engagement objectives;
• Knowledge: A clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of the British Museum and the context within which it operates domestically and internationally;
• Commitment: A commitment to supporting the Museum’s role in preserving cultural heritage, and in using the collection to support education and the understanding of British and world cultures and history;
• Judgement: Effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations to support the delivery of the British Museum’s objectives;
• Fundraising: The ability and commitment to supporting fundraising activities and to work with the Museum’s advancement team to contribute to the delivery of fundraising ambitions;
• Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenges and constructively challenge others with clarity and respect;
• Governance: The ability to operate at board level, with a focus on performance monitoring, and strategic thinking.

Desirable criteria

In addition to the essential criteria outlined above, we would welcome applicants with experience in one of the following areas:

• Community Engagement: Experience of spearheading public programmes that broaden access to and/or improving opportunities for people of all backgrounds;
• Capital Projects: Oversight of major building or infrastructure works (particularly in historic buildings);
• Finance / Business Leadership: Experience in financial and investment planning and /or expertise in business leadership with reference to large-scale project management.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below.