New Chair for Heritage Alliance

The Heritage Alliance has announced CAROLE SOUTER CBE as its new Chair, succeeding Acting Chair Dr INGRID SAMUEL OBE.

Souter will take up the post on July 1st 2024, with Samuel staying on to serve as Deputy Chair.

Souter is a passionate advocate for culture and heritage, with an outstanding record of achievement in the sector. She led the Heritage Lottery Fund (now the National Lottery Heritage Fund) as Chief Executive from 2003-2016 and has recently stepped down as interim Chair of Historic Royal Palaces.

Previously she served as Master of St Cross College at the University of Oxford and Director of Planning and Development for English Heritage.

Of Souter's appointment Samuel said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome Carole to the Heritage Alliance. She has been a strong supporter of the Alliance for many years, and as a highly respected senior heritage leader will now bring her extensive knowledge, experience and strategic vision to shaping our next stage of development.”

Souter added: “I am delighted to be joining The Heritage Alliance at this crucial time for the sector. With a General Election due within the next 12 months, the Alliance’s Heritage Manifesto will be a key document in creating relationships with Ministers and MPs. I hope that I can bring to the Alliance the wisdom and warmth of the Interim Chair, Ingrid Samuel." 

The Heritage Alliance’s Chief Executive,  commented: “[Carole] brings a wealth of experience from across our sector in its broadest sense alongside considerable experience in Whitehall. We are enormously grateful to our acting Chair Dr Ingrid Samuel OBE for her wisdom, humour and dedicated leadership through two interim periods.”