About Us

Paul worked for twenty years with the National Trust before setting up as a freelance architectural historian and heritage professional. In this role he has written heritage plans for the National Trust, Historic England, the Church of England and private clients.

He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, a Visiting Research Fellow at Plymouth University, Chairman of the Truro Diocese Advisory Committee and the Church Uses Committee and Vice-Chair of the Truro Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee. He has published widely and lectured extensively on various topics including architectural history, brewing history, cartography, curatorship, heritage management and seventeenth and eighteenth century travellers first-hand descriptions of Cornwall and London.

Paul is the Editor of the Journal of Historic Buildings & Places and Heritage Now, the magazine of Historic Buildings & Places.

Nerys Watts has nearly three decades of experience in the heritage sector. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Wells Cathedral, a role she commenced in June 2024 . In this position, she oversees the Cathedral’s operational delivery, building sustainability and developing profile as a significant heritage attraction and visitor experience, and the exciting major Vicars’ Close project. She led on the development of the Cathedral’s 10-year Strategy setting a clear roadmap for the future.

Prior to her current role, Nerys was the Director of External Affairs at the SS Great Britain Trust, where she led the Fundraising and Development team, as well as the Interpretation team . Before that, she dedicated over 20 years to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, leading the Southwest regional team and overseeing significant investments of c£700m in various heritage projects across the region.  

Nerys is deeply committed to making heritage inclusive and accessible. She serves as a trustee for Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery and is an active member of the Bath Heritage Advisory Board. She is passionate about heritage and the difference it can make to people’s lives.

Kevin has had a long career in Financial Services both in the UK and internationally. He is currently an Independent Member of the Bank of England RTGS/CHAPS Board and the Risk Committee and also a member of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Regulatory Decisions Committee and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), Enforcement Decisions Committee. He has been actively involved in a number of start-up businesses as an Angel Investor and Board/Advisory member. He is also a male ally for the European Women Payments Network. Kevin has recently moved to Cornwall. Kevin has a strong belief in contributing to the community, having been involved in Scouting for over 35 years and has served as Chair of Governors for a Church Primary School and as a Treasurer for a Church Council. He is currently actively involved in his local RNLI station and has been on the fundraising committee for 5 years.

Karen is Director of Legal and Governance at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. She moved to Cornwall in 2021 from Brighton and London, having taken up the post of Head of Legal and Compliance at the University of Plymouth during lockdown. Karen studied Law at the University of Brighton and worked for 10 years as a government lawyer in a variety of advisory and litigation roles for various departments and public bodies. Her final government role in 2019 was as EU exit advisor for the Health and Safety Executive. Prior to Law, Karen worked in the charity sector as a welfare rights worker, training manager for an anti-poverty charity and Director of a regional disability charity in the Potteries. She was a research scientist working on DNA, post-university, and has been an Associate Lecturer for the Open University on their open access Law Foundation course. Recently Karen was a trustee of grassroots marine conservation funding charity, Sea-Changers.

Steven is a seasoned meditation and mindfulness teacher with a strong connection to Truro, where he was born and raised. Steven brings his experience from his roles as a former Mayor of Truro and a current City Councillor for Moresk and Trehaverne Ward. His significant involvement in community initiatives like the Towns Fund and the strategic Pydar Development highlights his dedication to enhancing his hometown.

Living as a quadriplegic, Steven offers a unique perspective that strengthens the museum’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring it serves as a welcoming space for everyone in the community. His advocacy for inclusivity reflects his broader approach to leadership and teaching. Passionate about preserving and making Cornwall’s history accessible to all, Steven’s efforts are focused on ensuring that the museum remains a vital part of the community, celebrating Cornwall’s rich heritage while fostering an inclusive environment where diverse stories are respected and shared

Kira is currently a Widening Participation Coordinator with the University of Exeter. Her role is to organise and run events to encourage students who are from widening participatory backgrounds (such as students in receipt of free school meals, students coming from low socio-economic backgrounds and other categories) to experience what studying at university is like. Kira was previously in office as the 2022/23 President of Welfare and Inclusivity at the Falmouth & Exeter Students ’Union, a role in which she was responsible for representing the voice of both University of Exeter, Cornwall and Falmouth University Students. Within this role, Kira sat on Falmouth & Exeter Students ’Union Board of Trustees, which saw her chair the Appointments Committee.

As a young trustee, Kira hopes to bring her lived experiences to the board, as well as her knowledge of working in equality, diversity and inclusivity driven roles.

Justin is a Finance Director for the Diageo Group, a FTSE 100 beverage company, with a focus on global procurement and sustainability. He has considerable experience of financial forecasting and strategic planning.

Justin spent the earlier part of his career at PwC where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, specialising in international tax. He also has a background in law, having studied Law with Spanish Law at University College London. Justin lives in Trevellas where his wife’s family have a long-established presence. These family ties and experiences exploring the county have fostered his interest in Cornish history and culture.

Andrew is a Chartered Accountant and Partner at PKF Francis Clark (Previously Winter Rule LLP in Truro). Andrew leads the firm’s specialist national legal sector team and personally advises in the region of 100 law firms across the UK; focusing primarily on law businesses within the UK Top 200.

Having advised law firms for the last 20 years, Andrew has developed a national reputation for his practical and specialist advice to the law sector. The range of advice he provides is diverse, including strategy, profit improvement, tax planning and business structuring, as well as the usual compliance in relation to audit and accounting matters.

Andrew has previously taken non-executive roles including Governor and Chair of the Audit Committee at Falmouth University, and Cornwall Treasurer for Help the Aged.

Ruth Gripper is knowledge exchange officer for The Inclusivity Project at the University of Exeter, working to connect local businesses with academia. Ruth’s background is in the charity sector, where she has worked with grassroots community organisations and national charities and helped charities and funders with their strategy, impact and evaluation. She joined the board in 2019.

Ruth grew up in Cornwall before moving away for work and study. After a degree in International Studies and time teaching in English in France, she served as parliamentary researcher to the MP Norman Lamb in Westminster. Ruth subsequently worked in policy and public affairs roles in the charity sector before joining New Philanthropy Capital’s research and consulting team in 2015. She spent three years with NPC advising charities and funders before returning to Cornwall in 2018. She is currently supporting the Stone Family Foundation managing grants in the water and sanitation sector overseas.

Julie has been the Deputy CEO & Chief Operations and Financial Officer at Hall for Cornwall since 2017. As part of the leadership team she’s supported the delivery of an ambitious £30 million capital transformation scheme and the successful reopening and running of a large-scale regional theatre.

Prior to this Julie was the Culture Programme Lead at Cornwall Council for 15 years with responsibility for arts, archives, creative industries, the Cornish language, museums and the World Heritage Site, raising over £100million for the sector. She was previously CEO of Creative Kernow and the General Manager at Kneehigh Theatre.

As a non-exec she is Vice Chair of PK Porthcurno, a trustee of Trigger Arts, a Director of The Ladder CIC and an Area Council Member for Arts Council South West. She is a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh.

After a degree in the History of Art, Mary studied for an MA in the History of Design at the Royal College of Art. Her first museum job was at the Design Museum in London where she was Collections Manager. She then became Curator/Archivist for international corporate business Cable & Wireless plc, where she was also Community Investment Manager, leading on the company’s corporate social responsibility and charitable giving.

Mary moved to Cornwall in 1999 to become Director of Porthcurno Telegraph Museum, was awarded Associateship of the Museums Association and became a Trustee of Newlyn Art Gallery.

In 2011 she moved to Arts Council England as Relationship Manager for Museums covering the South West, overseeing the development and funding of museums in the region. She moved to become Director of Bodmin Keep Army Museum in 2015. Mary is now semi-retired but continues to freelance in the culture and heritage sector.