Four Trustees Reappointed to National Museums Liverpool Board 2026

Key Points

• New trustees for National Museums Liverpool have been appointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, namely Oliver Enwonwu and Katie Wray.
• These trustees include Dinah Birch, John Belchem, Lynn Collins and Dr Anna Farthing who were reappointed to the board.
• Oliver Enwonwu and Katie Wray will be trustees from 1 October 2026 until 30 September 2030.
• The four trustees that have been reappointed will serve as trustees from 1 March 2027 until 28 February 2031.
• The appointments were published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on 15 October 2026.
• Trustees of National Museums Liverpool are not remunerated for their work.
• These appointments were made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, and monitored by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
• None of the appointees has engaged in political activity within the past five years.

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) October 15, 2026 — The UK Government has appointed two new trustees and renewed the terms of four existing members of the National Museums Liverpool Board, strengthening the governance of one of England’s leading museum groups.

As announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Secretary of State Lisa Nandy has appointed Oliver Enwonwu and Katie Wray as trustees. Dinah Birch, John Belchem, Lynn Collins and Dr Anna Farthing have been reappointed. The announcement was published on GOV.UK on 15 October 2026 and also reported by Mirage News.

Who has been appointed to the National Museums Liverpool Board?

Oliver Enwonwu and Katie Wray join the board for four-year terms beginning on 1 October 2026 and ending on 30 September 2030. Their appointments add experience in contemporary art, cultural leadership, heritage, regeneration, planning and property development.

Enwonwu is described by DCMS as a cultural leader, artist, curator and publisher. He is Executive Director of the Ben Enwonwu Foundation and founder and publisher of Omenka, a platform focused on modern and contemporary art. He has previously served as President of the Society of Nigerian Artists and as a board member of the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria.

Wray is a Director in Deloitte’s Real Estate team and leads the firm’s national heritage team. According to the government announcement, she advises on regeneration and placemaking projects across the UK and has worked on major schemes including Mayfield and NOMA in Manchester. She previously served on Historic England’s Places Panel and has an academic background in history, planning and architectural conservation.

Which trustees have been reappointed?

Four current trustees have been reappointed for terms running from 1 March 2027 to 28 February 2031: Dinah Birch, John Belchem, Lynn Collins and Dr Anna Farthing.

Dinah Birch is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. DCMS says she is a specialist in Victorian literature and the work of John Ruskin, and previously served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement at the University of Liverpool.

John Belchem is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Liverpool. His work has focused on Liverpool’s history, including its Irish community, race relations and cultural identity. He has also been involved in public history, conservation and heritage projects, including work connected with Liverpool’s former World Heritage Site status.

Lynn Collins is Director of Representation and Organising at the Royal College of Midwives. She previously served for nine years as TUC Regional Secretary for the North West and was appointed Mayoral Advisor on Equalities and Chair of the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board by the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, serving until 2021.

Dr Anna Farthing is a creative producer and cultural consultant whose work spans cultural programming, public engagement, strategy and regeneration. DCMS says her work has addressed subjects including histories of conflict and slavery, climate change, public health and placemaking. She has held senior cultural roles including CEO of New Theatre Royal Portsmouth and Director of Civic and Cultural Engagement at Arts University Bournemouth.

Why have these appointments been made?

The appointments form part of the regular governance process for National Museums Liverpool, a public body whose board provides strategic oversight of its museums and cultural programmes. DCMS stated that the appointments were made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The department also confirmed that trustees receive no payment for the role. Under the code, appointees must declare significant political activity from the previous five years, including holding public office, public speaking, recordable political donations or candidacy in elections. DCMS said none of the six appointees declared such activity.

The announcement follows an earlier round of appointments in February 2026, when the Secretary of State appointed seven new trustees to the National Museums Liverpool Board for four-year terms. That earlier announcement included Lord John Grantchester among the new trustees.

What does National Museums Liverpool do?

National Museums Liverpool operates a group of museums and galleries in the city. The organisation is listed by the National Museum Directors’ Council among its members, with its registered address at Brown Street, Liverpool.

The board’s responsibilities include providing governance, strategic direction and oversight for the organisation. The newly announced appointments bring together expertise in literature, history, labour and equality, arts programming, heritage conservation, regeneration and cultural leadership.

What are the trustees’ backgrounds?

How were the appointments regulated?

DCMS said the process followed the Governance Code on Public Appointments, which sets standards for fairness, openness and merit in public appointments. The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates the process.

The department noted that it manages around 400 regulated public appointment roles across 44 public bodies, including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. DCMS encourages applications from people of all backgrounds across the United Kingdom.

Background of the development

National Museums Liverpool’s trustee appointments are part of an ongoing cycle of public appointments to its board. In March 2023, the then Secretary of State appointed John Belchem, Dinah Birch, Lynn Collins, Anna Farthing and Philip Lloyd as trustees for four-year terms. The latest announcement renews the terms of four of those trustees, while introducing two new members.

In February 2026, the government separately announced seven new trustees for the board, appointed from 19 January 2026 to 18 January 2030. The October 2026 announcement continues that wider refresh of the board’s membership.

The appointments come at a time when museums nationally are increasingly expected to address heritage, inclusion, public engagement, regeneration and the interpretation of difficult histories. The backgrounds of the newly announced trustees reflect those areas: Enwonwu’s work in modern and contemporary art, Wray’s heritage and regeneration expertise, and Farthing’s work on subjects including slavery, conflict and climate change.

Prediction: How this development can affect visitors and Liverpool’s cultural sector

For museum visitors, the appointments are unlikely to produce immediate changes to exhibitions or opening arrangements, because trustees provide governance rather than day-to-day curatorial management. Over time, however, the board’s mix of expertise may influence priorities around public engagement, access, heritage interpretation and partnerships.

For Liverpool’s cultural sector, the addition of regeneration and heritage expertise through Katie Wray, alongside Enwonwu’s international arts background, may support closer links between museum governance, placemaking and cultural programming. The reappointment of trustees with experience in Liverpool history, labour history, equality and creative regeneration suggests continuity in the board’s existing areas of focus.

For local cultural organisations, artists and heritage groups, the board’s renewed membership may create opportunities for collaboration, particularly where projects connect museums with community history, conservation, education and public engagement. The appointments also signal continued government involvement in the governance of National Museums Liverpool through DCMS-regulated public appointments.