Leadership & Advocates

Since stepping down as the Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University in 2021, Professor Allison has been appointed to a number of non-executive roles. He is the Chair of Trustees for The Air Ambulance Service and St Philip’s Centre in Leicester. Bob is a non-executive director of the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute Foundation. His most recent appointment is as the Senior Non-Executive Member and Vice-Chair of Chapter at Leicester Cathedral. Bob was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Leicestershire in 2022 and was awarded the CBE in the same year for services to education and young people.

The Historic Dockyard has an important place in our country’s seafaring history and is a major visitor attraction. It is a resource of significant value to the nation, which brings to life many different aspects of past life in the Royal Navy. Everyone involved in Chatham, both staff and volunteers, are passionate about the Dockyard and Professor Allison is delighted to be able to support their endeavour.

Tony is a retired Marine Consultant who served as a Marine Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy achieving the rank of Chief Engineer.  Coming ashore as a Superintendent for a container shipping company, he was responsible for the technical operation of several ships, including new build and conversion projects.  Subsequently, the company took over Sealink Ferries and he became involved in its modernisation with the introduction of new ships and reorganisation of its routes.  Tony’s career advanced and he achieved the position of Technical Director.

After leaving Stena Line UK, Tony started his own Marine Consultancy advising clients in design, build and management of many different types of ship.  He worked on projects in offshore oil & gas industry, offshore renewable energy, cruise shipping and the design of the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. The business ran very successfully for 14 years when he decided to retire.

Tony is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology.

Being aware of its history, Tony was thrilled to be invited to become a Trustee of the Dockyard as he believes the preservation of its shipbuilding legacy should be kept alive for future generations to appreciate.

Paul’s professional interests are in planning, economic development, heritage and regeneration.  In that capacity he was the Government’s Chief Planner for England, a former chair of the south east committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and is a trustee of Creative Folkestone and a lay canon of Rochester Cathedral. He is currently an Examining Inspector for National Infrastructure at the Planning Inspectorate.

He has been involved with the regeneration of the Chatham Naval Base as a whole since 1984 and recently contributed a chapter to a book covering the creation and evolution of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust which he helped to establish and of which he has been a trustee since 2017.

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Tony has had a successful career as a senior executive in Finance, holding prominent positions such as Group Finance and Operations Director at Camelot Group PLC, where he managed the business operations of the £5 billion revenue National Lottery operator and critical relationships with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Chief Operating Officer at Stead and Simpson Holdings; and Group Finance Director at Wyevale Garden. Tony is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an alumnus of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Tony also has significant expertise in the education sector, having most recently served as Vice Chair on the board of Loughborough Schools Foundation and as Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. In these roles, he provided strategic oversight and guidance, driving the development and growth of four independent fee-paying schools in a highly competitive environment.

Diane was the first female Director-General of the Imperial War Museums (IWM). As a specialist in war and conflict, Diane joined IWM in 2008 and over the course of her fourteen-year leadership led IWM through one of the most transformative periods in its history, redeveloping its branches through more than £90 million of fundraising and investment. She opened IWM London’s groundbreaking First World War Galleries in 2014, led the redevelopment of IWM Duxford’s American Air Museum in 2016 and IWM London’s award-winning Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries in 2021. She stepped down from her role at IWM in March 2023. In her earlier career Diane was involved in the recovery and display of the Mary Rose at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the display of the Nelson Galleries at the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Diane was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in January 2015 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in January 2022 for services to museums.

Harinder is Medway Council’s cabinet Portfolio holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure and Councillor for Fort Pitt ward. Born and raised in Chatham, Harinder is proud to be a part of such a vital community and heritage asset in Medway. His background was in campaigns and data & targeting for a UK political party HQ and he has recently opened a restaurant in Chatham. Harinder also supports Creative Medway, Rochester City Centre Forum, Medway Tourism Association, Art for Life Project and Tourism South East.

Sarah brings a wealth of experience and insight from her years in the tourism industry in theme parks, The National Trust and, most recently, leading the Worldwide Studio Tour and Retail Experience division at Warner Bros. Discovery where she is responsible for attractions and retail experiences spanning London, New York, Hollywood and Tokyo.

Sarah’s immediate family was brought up in Chatham, where her ancestors laboured close to the river and at the docks. The most infamous is Edward Roots who was a well-known and successful small-time smuggler, eventually hanged for smuggling along the north Kent coast in the early 1700’s. She has provided a unique insight into commercial operations and heritage properties as a Chatham Historic Dockyard Trustee since 2018.

Deirdre Wells OBE was appointed as CEO of Visit Kent in September 2018. Deirdre is also CEO of Go to Places, an organisation created by the company, to deliver services to partners outside, and in partnership with Kent, including the Big Weekend and a number of national tourism projects.

Prior to her appointment to Visit Kent, Deirdre was Chief Executive of UKinbound, representing nearly 400 UK inbound tourism businesses. Deirdre joined UKinbound following 20 years in Government at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport working on a variety of high-profile projects including the Millennium Dome, Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 and the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, and latterly as Head of Tourism.

Deirdre is Chair of English Tourism Week and sits on the Board of the Tourism Alliance.

Duncan Wilson joined Historic England as the organisation’s first Chief Executive on 1st April 2015. Historic England is a public body which improves people’s lives by protecting and championing the historic environment.

Previously, Duncan was Chief Executive of the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust, developing a major regeneration and conservation scheme to restore the Victorian theatre and television studios. He has also been Chief Executive at the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, maintaining one of Europe’s finest groups of baroque buildings, and the Somerset House Trust, opening the site to the public.

Duncan’s first job as a chartered accountant in 1987 was as Senior Management Accountant at English Heritage. Before accountancy he worked as a professional archaeologist in Oxford and Herefordshire, following post graduate research in European Archaeology.

He is a Trustee of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and the Greenwich Foundation. He was awarded the OBE for services to heritage in 2007 and became a RIBA Honorary Fellow in 2022. Duncan was awarded CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2023.

The Historic Dockyard at Chatham is a remarkably complete legacy of the history of building and fitting out the ships of the Royal Navy over three centuries. It fully deserves to be conserved and handed on to future generations, as well as presented to today’s visitors to bring out its extraordinary story, and that of the men and women who worked here. It is of international significance, and a magical place. That is why Duncan is so passionate about it.

• The Rt Hon the Secretary of State for Defence
• The Rt Hon the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
• Mr John Spence OBE DL