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SS Great Britain appoints new chief executive
Andrew Edwards to join Bristol attraction from Sussex Archaeological Society
Andrew Edwards has been appointed as the chief executive of the SS Great Britain Trust in Bristol, following Matthew Tanner stepping down after 26 years last autumn.
Edwards led the Sussex Archaeological Society from April 2021 until September 2022 as chief executive, and before that was at Canterbury Cathedral Trust and the National Churches Trust. He is a trustee at Tenby Museum & Art Gallery and the Creative Dimension Trust and was a mentor for the Changing Lives Campaign at St Marylebone Church in London.
As head of the charity, which runs the museum, visitor attraction and Brunel Institute, Edwards will lead the £20m Albion Dockyard Project to revitalise the harbour’s heritage and ecology and “transform the area into a world-class maritime attraction inside a thriving working shipyard”.
The initiative will also recreate a full-size version of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s first ship, the paddle steamer Great Western, which was built in Bristol as the world’s first transatlantic ocean liner.
“His exceptional leadership skills and deep understanding of the heritage sector make him the ideal leader for the charity as we take forward the Albion Dockyard Project and continue to care for the SS Great Britain and Brunel collections, sharing their stories and expanding community and STEM education engagement across the region,” said Matthew Jones, chair of trustees at the SS Great Britain.
“I would like to thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting the development phase of the Albion project. The next phase will benefit from Andrew’s visionary and strategic expertise as we move to fundraising and delivery of a major capital project for the city and the region.”
SS Great Britain also announced the appointment to its senior team of Louisa Pharoah. She joins as development director from the Soil Association, where she was director of fundraising.
Angela Spreadbury, chief financial officer and deputy CEO, and Phil Smith, chief commercial and operations officer and deputy CEO, will continue to serve as interim co-CEOs until Edwards takes up the helm on 3 June.