The National Archives has welcomed Professor Andrew Wathey CBE as the new Chair of its advisory Board for a three-year term. Professor Wathey succeeds Lesley Cowley OBE, the inaugural holder of the role, who stepped down in March, at the conclusion of a transformative and highly successful six-year tenure.
Professor Wathey is currently Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University and was appointed a CBE in 2016 for services to Higher Education. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford, where he also took his doctorate in Music. His published research focuses on the social and cultural history of music in late-medieval England and France. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries, and the Royal Society of the Arts and is a co-founder of the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (DIAMM).
Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives, said: ‘I am delighted to welcome Professor Wathey to lead our Board. We are fortunate to have a person of Andrew’s calibre join us at this key stage in our development. His experience in leadership of complex organisations will be invaluable as we continue to realise our strategic vision, Archives for Everyoneand we welcome his input and guidance as we continue with our historic mission to collect and preserve the public record.
Professor Andrew Wathey said: “The National Archives is one of the world’s great collections, and I am thrilled to be taking up the role of Chair of its Board. I am hugely looking forward to working with Jeff James, the Board and all of the staff at The National Archives, as this amazing organization moves to new levels of success and realizes the ambitions of its strategic vision, Archives for Everyone, in a period of exciting and transformative change”.
Further information on The National Archives’ leadership and strategy can be found here.
