The Holburne has appointed five new Directors of the Board: Mark Astaire, Lesley Exley, Steve Hyde, Lydia Lee and Mervyn Metcalf.
Edward Bayntun-Coward, Chairman of the Holburne Board commented: “We are delighted to welcome new colleagues to the Board, bringing a wealth of skills and experience to support the museum as we embark on our next exciting chapter. The next year will see a capital development project take shape, converting stores in the lower ground floor to new gallery space, so ensuring the successful delivery of this project and that the museum is in a robust position to capitalise on this growth will be paramount. We look forward to working with them.”
About our New Directors
Mark Astaire
Mark worked in investment banking for more than 35 years, holding senior positions at a number of leading investment banks including Bank of America and ABN Amro. Most recently, he was Chairman of Corporate Broking and Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at Barclays.
He now has a variety of roles including being a member of the Sky News Board and a non-executive director of Cavendish Financial PLC. He is the founder of the Astaire Art Prize in association with the Edinburgh College of Art. Mark graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 with a degree in politics.
Lesley Exley
Lesley is an experienced CEO, Advisor and Non-Executive Director in the retail, luxury, music, arts and culture space with in-depth knowledge of retail and luxury brands in the UK and internationally. She has worked for companies including Selfridges, L’Oreal and Waterford Wedgwood, and founded specialist Executive search company Exley Hervey in 2003.
She is a Trustee of the Retail Trust Charity, and a successful fundraiser for charities including the British Red Cross and the Worshipful Company of Patternmakers.
Steve Hyde
With over 25 years of experience in the public-facing cultural sector, Steve has contributed to some of the most important cultural capital projects of the last fifteen years. He has been the V&A’s Head of Estate for the past 12 years, responsible for maintaining, conserving and developing the estate of the world’s leading museum of art and design.
During this time, Steve has overseen the expansion of the V&A into Scotland in Dundee, and the construction of two new facilities in East London – the V&A East museum in the Olympic Park and the nearby Collection Research Centre, to ensure the new facilities provide the best experience for the needs of the 21st Century.
Lydia Lee
Lydia is an experienced leader in the cultural, heritage, environmental and higher education sectors. She has spent the last few years as Fundraising Director of the National Trust, leading a major step-change in fundraised income generation with prior appointments including Director of Development at the Science Museum Group, London Business School and Southbank Centre, delivering the £111 million transformation of the Royal Festival Hall.
In a non-Executive capacity, Lydia has held Trustee and Advisory roles with War Child UK and London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT).
Lydia studied Modern History at UCL, completed a range of Executive leadership programmes at London Business School and has a long-standing personal interest in music. Having grown up and been educated close to Bath, Lydia was delighted to return with her young family in 2020.
Mervyn Metcalf
Mervyn was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK in 1979. As an alumnus of London School of Economics Mervyn has both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Economics. He has over 30 years of investment banking experience, and co-founded Dean Street Advisers, a leading independent M&A advisory boutique in 2012.
Mervyn is a Trustee to the board of The Discerning Eye, an educational charity and is also a trustee of BBC Media Action, one of only two BBC charities. Mervyn’s opinions on market trends are often quoted in leading publications. In addition, Mervyn is an avid collector of contemporary art, with a particular focus on portraiture.
*The Holburne Museum is governed by a sole Trustee which is The Holburne Museum Trust Company, a company limited by guarantee. The recent appointees join the Directors of the Holburne Museum Trust Company.