Introduction
The Prime Minister wishes to appoint two new trustees to the Imperial War Museum:
- 1x Digital Trustee
- 1x Public Engagement/Learning Trustee
Role description
Members of the Board have corporate responsibility for the general management and control of the Museum, subject to the terms set out in the Imperial War Museum Acts (1920 and 1955), subsequent amending legislation and other governing documents. It is their responsibility also to ensure that the Museum complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds.
Specifically, the Board:
● Determines the general policy of the Museum;
● Appoints the Director-General of the Museum, with the approval of the Prime Minister;
● Monitors and oversees the Director-General’s management of the Museum. The Director-General is the Board’s chief executive and the Accounting Officer of the Museum;
● Has legal responsibility for the buildings, collections and financial assets of the Museum and their care and management;
● Approves the Museum’s Strategic Plan;
● Monitors the process of Risk Management within the Museum; and
● Publishes an annual report and account, audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
Trustees are expected to understand and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life as defined by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Individual Trustees should therefore also be aware of their wider responsibility as members of the Board – namely to comply at all times with the Code of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies as adopted by the IWM; and with the rules relating to the use of public funds and to conflicts of interest; and to act in accordance with the requirements of Charity law where this applies.
Trustees must be positive advocates for the Museum. They will exercise drive with due tact and discretion as members of a corporate body with a collective and strategic role.
Organisation description
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) was founded in 1917 to record the story of the Great War. Its remit was subsequently extended to cover the Second World War and today, IWM is the world’s leading authority on conflict and its impact focusing on Britain, its former Empire and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present.
It is dedicated to recording people’s experiences of modern conflict, exploring the causes of war and its impact on people’s lives. The collections are made up of the everyday and the exceptional, drawn from people of all walks of life. They reflect the total nature of war and reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events.
IWM makes its unique collections relevant to contemporary audiences by creating vivid personal stories and powerful physical experiences that engage visitors of all ages with the issues of war and conflict across our five museums. The Museum reflects the realities of war and challenges people to look at conflict from different perspectives.
IWM is a single institution with a single purpose, fulfilled in different ways at its different branches, both physical and virtual. In addition to its headquarters building, IWM London, in Southwark, the Museum’s branches comprise the Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast in London, IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire, and IWM North in Trafford, Greater Manchester which is housed in a stunning building by Daniel Libeskind. Alongside its conventional role as a museum, IWM is also a major national art gallery – it holds the second largest collection of 20th Century British and contemporary art in the UK - a significant national archive of written and audio-visual records, an important specialist reference library and a centre for research.
The Museum’s strategic objectives, as set out in the Corporate Plan are to:
▪ Increase financial sustainability through securing long-term financial viability and resilience during the current challenges and any future business interruptions or global financial uncertainties.
▪ Prioritise audiences, creating inspiring, diverse and relevant visitor and learning experiences and providing excellent customer service.
▪ Deliver effective stewardship of our collection by developing and caring for our collection through effective management and ensuring our collections and knowledge remain relevant and accessible.
▪ Build IWM’s brand, developing our reputation as a global authority and our ability to deliver our purpose and vision by providing high quality products, services and experiences.
More information can be found on the Museum’s website www.iwm.org.uk. Specifically, the IWM Corporate Plan and annual report and accounts are published at http://www.iwm.org.uk/corporate/reports
Board composition
The Board consists of a President appointed by The Sovereign and 21 other Trustees, of whom 7 are Commonwealth High Commissioners and hold office ex officio. The remaining 14 Trustees are appointed variously by the Prime Minister and the Secretaries of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport, Defence, and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The Chair is elected by the Board from within the membership.
The appointment of Trustees to these particular vacancies lies with the Prime Minister.
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the
Commissioner’s website