English Heritage has appointed Tim Reeve as its new chief executive. He rejoins the organization after 13 years as deputy director of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the organization announced Tuesday.
Reeve will replace interim Geoff Parkin who took over after the abrupt resignation of Nick Merriman due to family health issues in 2025.
English Heritage acts as caretaker for the National Heritage Collection, a group of over 400 historic sites and monuments across England, including beloved locations like Stonehenge, Kenwood in Hampstead Heath, the Cenotaph, Hadrian’s Wall and Dover Castle.
“I am honored to be English Heritage’s next Chief Executive,” Reeve said in a statement. “It is one of the most important roles in UK cultural life: leading a charity that means so much to so many people, in every corner of England.”
Reeve started at English Heritage as a registry assistant thirty years ago in 1996 and rose to the level of director of historic properties before leaving in 2013 to take up the role of deputy director and chief operating officer at the V&A under Tristan Hunt. Reeve was with the V&A throughout a truly pivotal period overseeing the staging of the groundbreaking exhibition “Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen,” the creation of V&A East and the V&A Storehouse, which includes the David Bowie Centre, and the establishment of the museums’ Scottish location in Dundee.
“Tim has been a truly transformative deputy director of the V&A. So much of the last decade’s creative confidence and institutional expansion is down to his far-sighted leadership, energetic culture of challenge, and strong ethos of public service,” Hunt’s statement reads.
He announced his departure as staff across all three V&A locations voted in favor of strike action over working conditions and pay.
He takes over at English Heritage following a large-scale restructuring of the organization in 2025 which was vocally opposed by staff past and present. The controversial move included the cutting of 200 jobs—about seven percent of the workforce—plus limiting access to 22 of their sites, rebranding them as “hidden gems” and cutting expert workers’ hours.
These changes in infrastructure and funding driven issues are emblematic of the challenges facing the cultural sector. The restructure took place after the charity ceased to receive regular funding from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), making it self-financing.
“Tim is one of the most outstanding and capable leaders in the culture and heritage sector. His years of experience – both at the V&A and earlier at English Heritage itself – will serve the charity incredibly well. “We are delighted that he is returning to lead English Heritage,” Chair of English Heritage Tony Hales CBE said in a statement.
Reeve will take up his post in November.
