David joins Beamish board

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has boosted its board with the appointment of our Principal and Chief Executive, David Alexander.

David joins as one of nine new board members along with new Chair, Chris Loughran.

David said: “I’m thrilled and privileged to be joining the Beamish board at what is a pivotal time in the museum’s history. A range of ongoing developments are set to cement its position as one of the region’s top visitor attractions.

“As a board, we’ll be putting our particular areas of expertise to work to ensure Beamish remains a sustainable and competitive organisation which is there to serve its staff, visitors and the wider community.”

Chris Loughran has been appointed as Chair and will take up his role on 1st March, along with the 10 new board members in the voluntary roles. Alongside David, the new trustees are Mauricio Armellini, Daniel Jackson, Stephen King, Rachael Lennon, Dr Elouise Leonard-Cross, Conan McKinley, Bridget Stratford, Ian Thomas. The museum’s host local authority, Durham County Council, will retain one nomination to the board, who will be Councillor Elizabeth Scott.

Rhiannon Hiles, Chief Executive of Beamish Museum, said: “Our incoming board has been recruited in line with the areas of skills and expertise the museum needs both now and in the future, reflecting the full range of its ever-expanding operations including commercial development and overnight stays. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our incoming trustee team and working together on the ongoing development planning for the museum.”

The museum welcomed a record 803,000 visitors in 2019/20 pre-pandemic, and is delighted to be growing back strongly following the pandemic. The Remaking Beamish development – the biggest in the museum’s history – is nearing completion, including The 1950s Town, Farm and expansion of the Georgian area including overnight accommodation. The museum was named the 11th most visited paid-for attraction in the country by VisitEngland in 2021.