Historic England chief executive announces retirement

The chief executive of Historic England has announced he is retiring after ten years at the helm of the organisation.

Duncan Wilson will step down in October after what he said was a “hugely rewarding” tenure leading the government’s heritage advisor.

He became the body’s first chief executive following the split of English Heritage into Historic England and the English Heritage Trust in 2015, a move which Wilson played a key role in.

An archeologist by training, Wilson has served for more than 25 years as a chief executive in the heritage sector, previously holding the role at Alexandra Palace, Old Royal Naval College and Somerset House.

Historic England chairman Neil Mendoza thanked Wilson for a “remarkable” decade leading the organisation.

“From his pivotal role in delivering the New Model that created Historic England and the English Heritage Trust as separate organisations, to guiding Historic England and the sector through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Duncan’s impact has been profound,” he added.

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Wilson thanked Historic England staff and said he was “proud to hand over an organisation in good health and with progressively more to offer the nation”.

Reflecting on the organisation’s work over the past decade, he said one of his proudest achievements was Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios’ restoration of the Flaxmill Maltings building in Shrewsbury which was named RIBA’s West Midlands Building of the Year in 2024.

He said he was “particularly proud” Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme, which has promoted the protection of heritage at 67 high streets in towns and cities across England.

As a former archeologist, he said a personal highlight had been the body’s support for an excavation at a Bronze Age site in Cambridgeshire which uncovered the remains of a village built on stilts above what had been a river.

“It is hard to overstate my delight and excitement seeing a complete Bronze Age settlement which had been buried in the Fens for 3,000 years unearthed along with all its contents,” he said.

Historic England has now engaged recruitment firm Berwick Partners in the search for WIlson’s successor.

The job description asks for an “inspiring leader with a drive for vision and strategy with a commitment to improving lives by promoting and protecting the historic environment”.

The role comes with a salary of £135,000 to £145,000, with a bonus of up to 7.5%, 28 days of holiday rising to 33 after five years, and the ability to work at any of Historic England’s nine office across England.