Historic England Commissioners' Biographies

Lord Mendoza CBE

Chairman

Lord Mendoza was appointed Chair of Historic England from 1 September 2023.

Lord Mendoza was appointed Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, in 2018, following a career building business 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.

He was previously the government’s Commissioner for Culture and also 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, he led the year-long Mendoza Review of Museums in England on behalf of DCMS (2016-17). He was also Chair of Children and the Arts, Vice Chair of Soho Theatre, and Chair of The Landmark Trust (2011-2021).

Lord Mendoza joined the Board of MeiraGTx, a US-based gene therapy company, in 2015 and co-founded Forward Publishing in the late 1980s, now a part of WPP plc.

He is an advocate of building and supporting talent, creativity and enterprise through high quality educational, cultural and heritage engagement. He is also mentor to young professionals across a range of sectors. He graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with a MA in Geography.

Lord Mendoza was appointed CBE in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to arts and culture.

Ben Derbyshire

Ben is Chair of HTA Design LLP, a leading multidisciplinary design practice specialising in housing and placemaking where his role also includes directing the practice’s internal design review processes.

He is a Commissioner of Historic England. He serves on the London Advisory Committee, High Streets Heritage Action Zone Board and is chair of the Historic Places Panel.

Ben is President of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies and is a current member of the NHBC Council.

He was President of RIBA from 2017 to 2019 where he oversaw fundamental change in the financing and governance of the institute and the instigation of policies in relation to climate action, professional competence and codes of conduct.

Charles Donald CBE

Charles is currently a Non-Executive Director at DfT Operator. He is a former Chief Executive Officer at UK Government Investments and Chair of Working Party on State Ownership & Privatisation Practices at OECD. Previously, he was a Non-Executive Director and Trustee at both Help for Heroes and UK Infrastructure Bank, and Vice Chair at Credit Suisse.

Dominic Field

Dominic has a portfolio career spanning governance, public service, executive coaching and strategic advice. He is also Trustee of London & Partners and the Design Museum and an Executive Coach at Pelham Street. He previously served as Lead Non-Executive Director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and chaired the UK Government Digital Non-Executive Forum.

Earlier in his career, Dominic spent 21 years at Boston Consulting Group, where he founded Digital BCG and led the firm’s Global Marketing Practice. His particular interests include governance, organisational strategy and transformation, digital innovation and AI.

Professor Helena Hamerow

Helena Hamerow is Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology at the University of Oxford. Her research interests lie in the settlements, farming practices and economy of northwest Europe during the Early Middle Ages. She is a Fellow of St Cross College, where she was Vice-Master from 2005 to 2008, and an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.

Helena has previously served on the Board of Visitors of the Ashmolean Museum and the Board of Curators of the Bodleian Libraries and was an elected member of the Council of the University of Oxford from 2016 to 2020. She is a Fellow of the British Academy, a former President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology and Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oxford Archaeology and the Board of Visitors of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and chairs the Historic England Advisory Committee.

Dr Anna Keay OBE

Anna is currently Director/ Chief Executive of the Landmark Trust and sits as member in the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, Advisory Board on Contested Heritage, The Royal Collection Trust, The Pilgrim Trust, Big Yellow Self Storage Company and is a Trustee at the Duke of Lancaster’s Foundation. She was previously Curatorial Director for English Heritage.

Ulrike Knox

With over 30 years of experience, Ulrike is a specialist conservation architect and historic buildings consultant. She founded Knox McConnell Architects, a practice which focuses on the conservation, sustainable development, and management of historic environments, primarily in Northern England.

Ulrike is the appointed Surveyor of the Fabric for Carlisle Cathedral and Cathedral Architect for Bradford and Manchester Cathedrals. She was also architect for major projects at cathedrals such as St Paul’s in London, Liverpool, and Lichfield. A leader in sustainable heritage, she installed the first solar panels on an English Cathedral at Bradford in 2011. She has also been the lead consultant for projects at secular Grade I listed sites such as Towneley Hall Museum and Gallery, Gawthorpe Hall, and Brocklesby Park Estate.

Her contribution to architectural heritage includes roles as a commissioner for the Cathedrals' Fabric Commission of England, a member of the Fabric Advisory Committee for Ripon Cathedral, and a specialist advisor to the Diocesan Advisory Committee for Leeds. Ulrike has also been instrumental in distributing grants and awards for bodies such as the Archbishop's Council, the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, and the Stone Federation of Great Britain. She is a past president of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association, the Bradford Society of Architects and Surveyors, and an assessor for the register of Architects Accredited in Building Conservation.

Locally in West Yorkshire, Ulrike is a trustee and co-chair of the Saltaire Village Society, and a member of the steering group for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Management Plan for Saltaire. She is also a member of the University of Bradford’s Civil & Structural Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.

Georgina Lynch

Georgina is currently a Managing Director at P J Livesey Group and a Trustee at Heritage Trust North West. She is a former Board Director and Sales Manager at P J Livesey Group. Previously, she was Founder at GL-14 Health.

Claire McColgan CBE

Claire is currently Director of Culture and Major Events for Liverpool City Council and was previously Executive Producer for European Capital of Culture as well as, Host City Chief Executive for Eurovision.

Lukman Patel

Lukman is currently Chief Executive for Burnley Borough Council and was previously their Chief Operating Officer.

Jamie Ritblat

Jamie is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Delancey, a real estate company renowned for landmark and complex regeneration projects that integrate homes, workplaces and public spaces. Often involving listed buildings and the stewardship of estates in historically significant areas, his work includes transforming the London 2012 Athletes’ Village into East Village, converting the Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre into the award-winning Here East, leading the creation of a new town centre at Elephant & Castle, and chairing The Earls Court Development Company.

Jamie plays a leading role in Delancey’s CSR efforts, with a strong emphasis on the arts, heritage, education, youth, mental health and culture. He was instrumental in Delancey becoming the first corporate sponsor of Historic England’s national Blue Plaques scheme, and has supported English Heritage, the National Portrait Gallery, Historic Royal Palaces and multiple Heritage of London Trust projects.

He is a Trustee of Blenheim Palace, The Bathurst Estate (Cirencester), and the Heritage of London Trust, serves on the advisory boards of Brown Advisory and the V&A Advisory Council, and recently joined the Imperial College Council as Chair of its Real Estate Committee. His previous advisory, board and Trustee positions include Tate Britain, the MCC, The Southbank Centre, Kew Gardens Foundation Board, King’s College London, and Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres.

Philip Shepherd

Philip is a Chartered Accountant and a non-executive director and board adviser to numerous businesses in the culture, hospitality, and leisure sectors. He was a Partner at PwC for over 20 years, leading industry practices in the Strategy and Transaction Services divisions, both in the UK and the Middle East.

He is a Trustee and Chairman of the Finance & Strategy committee for the Chichester Festival Theatre and a non-executive director of the AIM listed company XP Factory. He is the advisory chairman of International Venue Management and of Event Security Management. He consults widely on strategy, financing, and operations and has worked extensively across the UK and internationally.

Moira Sinclair OBE

Moira is currently a Consultant, Coach and NED who sits on the City of Culture Expert Advisory Panel. An ICF-accredited coach supporting about 10 cultural leaders each year. She is also Chair at the Factory International, Chair at the Clore Leadership Programme, Chair of Investment Committee for Arts and Culture Impact Fund, Panel member for City of Culture 2029 Expert Advisory Panel, Assessor for King’s Award for Voluntary Service and Trustee for National Landscapes. She was previously Chief Executive of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Sue Wilkinson OBE

Sue Wilkinson was an executive board director at the National Trust until the end of 2016 and the executive lead on tourism. During her time there she led much of the charity’s income generation, oversaw membership growth to nearly five million members, and led major IT projects and a brand review.

Currently, Sue is a trustee of English Heritage and Chair of the Regent Theatre in Christchurch.

Sue was previously deputy chair of the Churches Conservation Trust, Vice-Chair of the Medical Research Foundation, and a trustee of the Canal & River Trust and Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. She has also served on the boards of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Visit England Board, and the Institute of Fundraising. She was awarded an OBE for services to heritage in 2025.