Executive Team Biographies

Duncan Wilson CBE

Chief Executive

Roles and responsibilities

Duncan became Chief Executive of the newly formed Historic England in May 2015.

Previous experience

Duncan joined Historic England from the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust where he was Chief Executive from 2011 to 2015. From 2002 Duncan was Chief Executive of the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, and before that Director of the Somerset House Trust.

Duncan’s first job as a chartered accountant in 1987 was as Senior Management Accountant at English Heritage. Before accountancy he worked as a professional archaeologist in Oxford and Herefordshire, following post graduate research in European Archaeology.

External roles

Duncan is a trustee of The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and The Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. He has previously been a trustee of the Churches Conservation Trust (2008-2017) and the Royal Armouries (2007-2011) and a community governor of Corelli College in Greenwich (2004-2007).

He became a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Honorary Fellow in 2022 and was awarded the CBE for services to heritage in 2023.

Liz Bushell

Director of Corporate Services

Roles and responsibilities

Liz oversees Historic England’s corporate services teams which include facilities management, finance, human resources, and information management and technology.

Previous experience

Liz joined Historic England in December 2022 as Director of Corporate Services. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant. She previously worked for Arts Council England for over 20 years as Director of Finance and then Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that, she worked as an auditor for EY in their technology, communications, and entertainment division. Liz has a Diploma in Business Administration and is a certified coach.

External roles

Liz was previously a trustee of Bletchley Park Trust and is an independent member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Finance Committee.

Claudia Kenyatta

Director, Regions (job-share)

Roles and responsibilities

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire (job-share) oversee Historic England’s work in the regions, where we deliver expertise and advice, grants, and major programmes and build the effective partnerships that help us to explain, protect and care for the historic environment.

Previous experience

Claudia joined Historic England in September 2018. Prior to that, Claudia spent 15 years at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where she specialised in heritage and culture policy, strategy and delivery. Her last role at DCMS before joining Historic England was as Director of Corporate Strategy. Before joining DCMS, Claudia worked in a variety of roles in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

External roles

Claudia is Chair of the Board of Trustees at Battersea Arts Centre.

Emma Squire CBE

Director, Regions (job-share)

Roles & responsibilities

Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta (job-share) oversee Historic England’s work in the regions, where we deliver expertise and advice, grants, and major programmes and build the effective partnerships that help us to explain, protect and care for the historic environment.

Previous experience

Emma joined Historic England in December 2023 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where she spent over five years as Director of Arts Heritage and Tourism. At DCMS Emma worked with HE on projects including the Culture Recovery Fund, preliminary work on the renewal of the English Heritage Trust licence, shepherding through some of the more finely balanced listings cases, and championing High Streets Heritage Action Zones. Emma oversaw 28 public bodies while at DCMS, including not only Historic England but also the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Churches Conservation Trust, Arts Council England, and the national museums and galleries. She oversaw the UK City of Culture Competition and was Senior Responsible Officer for the Culture Recovery Fund.

Emma’s previous roles in Government include working at the Department for International Trade, and roles across the Business Department and the Treasury.

External roles

Emma is Chair of the Bridport Museum Trust on the Jurassic Coast in West Dorset.

Ian Morrison OBE

Director of Policy and Evidence

Roles and responsibilities

Ian Morrison was appointed Director of Policy and Evidence at Historic England to help shape the future direction and strategies of the organisation and lead the delivery of its specialist services, strategy and central listing and research functions. Ian is finding new ways to champion and protect England’s historic environment and to maximise its value to the public.

Previous experience

Ian was previously Chief Executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) where he successfully expanded the charity’s advice, grants and loan services to help meet the growing demand of enterprising communities wishing to repair and re-use historic buildings they value. Prior to joining the AHF, Ian was Head of Historic Environment at the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), where he held the lead UK policy role for the historic environment and introduced and directed a number of HLF’s grant programmes. His early career was spent with Historic England (formerly English Heritage), where he amassed 15 years’ experience working in a variety of roles in London and the South West. Trained as an archaeologist, Ian has undertaken numerous archaeological excavations across the UK and the Middle East.

External roles

Ian is a former serving member of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust Advisory Panel, the FWW Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund and the DCMS-sponsored Cultural Development Fund Advisory Panel.

Melanie Lewis

Director of Strategy and Business Development

Roles and responsibilities

Melanie leads the strategic direction and business growth initiatives at Historic England. Her role encompasses leading strategy development and successful delivery of the corporate plan. Key factors within this include promoting and driving beneficial change across the organisation, diversifying and growing income, and providing a platform to develop a comprehensive understanding of all services.

Previous experience

Melanie joined Shakespeare North Playhouse in 2021 as Chief Executive, leading a new ground-breaking cultural attraction as part of the wider regeneration of the town which centred on heritage and culture. Throughout her career, she has worked in iconic venues and on a wide array of projects and initiatives focused on heritage, culture, art, and sport. Her passion lies in shaping how citizens interact and own heritage and culture in our local community and city, from across the UK and around the world.

Prior to her role at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Melanie worked at National Museums Liverpool for a decade, as an Executive Director on the Leadership Team. During that time, she was responsible for all strategy and planning, commercial outputs, and visitor experience. She played a lead role in transformational change projects and was instrumental in many major initiatives.

Before her tenure at National Museums Liverpool, Melanie held senior roles with Everton Football Club and Blackburn Rovers Football Club, focusing on commercial and creating excellent visitor experiences.

External roles

In addition to her role at Historic England, Melanie serves as the Chair for the Association for Cultural Enterprises, where she champions the advancement of commercial activities within the cultural sector. She is a member of the Business and Enterprise Board for the Liverpool Combined Authority and previously, served as a Trustee at Bluecoat Contemporary Arts Centre.

Amy Pitts

Director of Communications and Public Engagement

Roles and responsibilities

Amy leads our public engagement teams which include marketing and content, communications, creative programmes, learning and inclusion, and the Historic England Archive. Amy is responsible for engaging all audiences with the work of Historic England, inspiring people to get involved with heritage and the historic environment and overseeing a strategic approach to national and regional communication.

Previous experience

Amy joined Historic England in July 2019 from her previous role as Director of Visitor Services and Retail at the UK Parliament. Amy was at the UK Parliament for 5 years, prior to which she worked with Historic Royal Palaces at Kensington Palace. Amy brings a range of experience in engagement strategies, audience development and innovation planning in culture and heritage.

Andrew Wiseman

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Roles and responsibilities

Andrew is head of Historic England’s legal, governance, internal audit, office estates, heritage crime and health, safety & organisational risk functions.

Previous experience

Andrew joined Historic England in 2018. He is a qualified solicitor. Prior to joining Historic England he had been a partner in a number of law firms where he specialised in planning, health and safety and environmental law. Many of his clients were public sector bodies.

External roles

Andrew is a board member of a Housing Association as well as sitting on their Audit and Risk Committee. He sits on the Law Society’s specialist Planning and Environmental Law Committee. He is a former Chair of UK Export Finance’s Advisory Board, CIWM’s Governance and Professional Ethics Committee and also a DEFRA Expert Committee.