Frances Jeens to leave Jewish Museum London

After almost 10 years at the Jewish Museum London, with three of those in the post of director, Frances Jeens leaves the organisation this month to join the Houses of Parliament where she will head up the department for education and engagement.

“It has been a privilege to lead the museum for the past few years and to have been at the museum for almost a decade, but I am now leaving for a post in different sector," she said in a statement. "I believe greatly in the work of the Jewish Museum and so I will be continuing to work with the museum for one day a week until the end of December to lead on a couple of major projects including the build of a new collections storeroom to house a large Sephardic collection, and will also continue as a trustee for a while so there will be a good transition period.”

There will be an acting director in post in November while the Jewish Museum board begin recruitment for a permanent director. 

Elsewhere, York Museums Trust has announced the appointment of Kathryn Blacker as its next chief executive, following the recent departure of Reyahn King who has moved to the National Trust for Scotland.

Blacker is currently chapter steward at York Minster cathedral where she has worked for the past nine years. During that time she has overseen projects to diversify income, ensure financial and environmental sustainability, implemented systems to understand audiences and business better and led a programme to invest in the wider estate.

Prior to her role at York Minster, she worked in the cultural sector for 15 years with roles in the BBC’s BAFTA team, at the Science Museum Group and as deputy director of the National Science and Media Museum at Bradford. Blacker will begin her new role at York Museums Trust in 2023.

Jessica Bradford has been appointed as head of collections and principal curator at the Science Museum, London, beginning her new role at the start of November. She is currently keeper of collections engagement at the museum, and over the 12 years she has been there has worked on projects from small-scale rapid response displays to Mathematics: The Winton Gallery, which designed by architect Zaha Hadid.

Bradford replaces Tilly Blyth after her two decades as head of collections and principal curator at the Science Museum. Blyth is taking up a new position as professor and head of the School of Museum Studies at Leicester University, as well as becoming a senior research associate at the Science Museum.

Blyth said: “As the leading place to study and research museums and galleries in the UK, I am delighted to be joining the school at such an important time. Museums are going through a transformation as they develop more sustainable and inclusive practice, while building their digital skills.”