Responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity, our Senior Leadership Team provides collective leadership for English Heritage. Together, the team shapes the charity's plans and priorities, working with colleagues across the charity to deliver them.
Tim Reeve CBE
Chief Executive
“I love caring for what I think of as England’s great outdoor museum. The sites and objects we look after offer extraordinary opportunities for escape and discovery, connection and fun. These are places where lifelong memories are made and where England’s history comes to life. It is a real privilege to lead a charity that means so much to so many people.”
Tim became Chief Executive of English Heritage in November 2026. He leads the charity in setting and delivering its strategic direction, ensuring that we fulfil our charitable objectives through caring for the National Heritage Collection, sharing its stories and experiences with the public, and building a financially sustainable future.
Tim joined us from the V&A, where he was Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer. During his 13 years there, he played a leading role in the strategic and operational development of the museum, including its evolution into a multi-site family of museums celebrating the power of creativity. Among the highlights of his time at the V&A were the creation of the groundbreaking V&A East Museum & Storehouse in East London, the establishment of V&A Dundee, the opening of the V&A Gallery at Design Society in Shenzhen, and the delivery of the most successful paid-for exhibitions programme in the museum’s history.
In 2025, Tim was awarded a CBE for services to museums in the King’s Birthday Honours.
His connection with English Heritage goes back much further. Tim began his career with us in 1996 as a Registry Assistant, before becoming Director of Historic Properties in 2005. Until 2013, he led the management of the historic sites in our care, overseeing everything from the annual conservation maintenance programme to major capital developments.
Tim graduated in Ancient History from Royal Holloway, University of London, and subsequently studied at INSEAD as part of its International Executive Programme.
Ruth Blazye
Income, Growth and Marketing Director
“I love that our purpose and the commercial work my teams deliver are two sides of the same coin, whether that’s a new café menu, a range of wooden knight’s swords or welcoming a new member. But the best part is the people, whose passion for what we are here to do is unlike anywhere else I’ve worked.”
Ruth joined English Heritage in 2025 to lead our Income, Growth and Marketing Directorate. Its aim is to deepen relationships with the people who support us and grow the income the charity needs to look after the historic places and objects in our care.
The directorate brings together our membership, visitor marketing and member services teams; fundraising and corporate partnerships; our on-site commercial trading, including retail, food and beverage, holiday cottages and venue hire; and our data and insight teams.
Ruth firmly believes in a supporter-led approach and that belief has shaped her career. She began as a graduate at M&S, where she held several roles including Head of Store Format and went on to senior commercial roles at Hamleys, The Co-op and B&Q. Prior to joining English Heritage she was Executive Director for Income, Property, Facilities and Community Strategy at the disability equality charity, Scope.
Addison Devlin
Chief Financial Officer
“I love turning ambitious ideas into practical plans, bringing people together to tackle complex challenges and making sure we have the resources, expertise and support to realise English Heritage’s full potential.”
Addison became Chief Financial Officer in April 2026 and leads our Corporate Services Directorate, bringing together Finance, Technology, Procurement, Programme and Project Delivery, Health, Safety & Security, and Risk Management. Working closely with colleagues across English Heritage, the directorate supports sound decision-making, enables investment and helps build the organisational resilience and financial sustainability we need for the future.
Addison joined English Heritage in 2017 and has since held the roles of Head of Finance and Finance Director. Before joining us, he worked at Somerset House Trust and Grant Thornton UK LLP, specialising in the charity and not-for-profit sector.
Kate Logan
Operations, Experience and Engagement Director
“I love the people and the places here. Every one of our sites has its own story, atmosphere and meaning, but it’s the people who really bring them to life, whether that’s the passion of our colleagues and volunteers, the memories our visitors make, or the local communities who care so deeply about these special places.”
Kate leads English Heritage’s Operations, Experience & Engagement Directorate, responsible for the care and operation of our more than 400 historic sites and the experience of the millions of people who visit and enjoy them.
Kate has spent her career working across the heritage, visitor attraction and charity sectors. She joined English Heritage in 2006 and has held a range of national and site-based leadership roles, including our first Head of Volunteering and Director of Stonehenge, where she led the UK’s best known historic site through a period of significant growth and change.
She brings extensive experience of leading large, multi-site operations, developing visitor experiences, driving commercial growth and major investment, and bringing together the needs of historic places, visitors and communities.
Dr Matt Thompson
Conservation, Curatorial and Learning Director
“I love the sheer diversity of our collection. We share the stories of more than 400 places up and down the country and these span more than 5,000 years of our shared past. There is literally never a boring day!”
Matt took on the role of Conservation, Curatorial and Learning Director on 1 April 2025, having been Interim Curatorial Director at English Heritage since November 2023.
The Conservation, Curatorial and Learning Directorate is home to our property, gardens, landscape and collections curators as well as our experts in learning and interpretation, environmental sustainability, and building and collections conservation.
Matt joined English Heritage as Head Collections Curator in November 2015. Beginning his career as an archaeologist, Matt has worked in the heritage sector for more than 25 years and, before joining English Heritage, worked in a number of independent and national museums, including the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and the National Railway Museum.