Secretary of State reappoints Historic England Commissioners
Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has reappointed Ben Derbyshire and Professor Helena Hamerow as Commissioners of Historic England for second terms of four years.
“I am delighted that Professor Helena Hamerow and Ben Derbyshire have been re-appointed as Commissioners for a full second term. They both make a significant contribution to Historic England and provide important leadership in their roles chairing the Historic England Advisory Committee and the Historic Places Panel. I know that their fellow Commissioners and colleagues at Historic England will join me in congratulating Helena and Ben on this extension to their appointments.”
Ben is Chair of HTA Design LLP, a leading multidisciplinary design practice specialising in housing and placemaking where his role also includes directing the practice’s internal design review processes.
He is a Commissioner of Historic England. He serves on the London Advisory Committee, High Streets Heritage Action Zone Board and is chair of the Historic Places Panel.
Ben is President of the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies and is a current member of the NHBC Council.
He was President of RIBA from 2017 to 2019 where he oversaw fundamental change in the financing and governance of the institute and the instigation of policies in relation to climate action, professional competence and codes of conduct.
Helena Hamerow is Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology at the University of Oxford. Her research interests lie in the settlements, farming practices and economy of northwest Europe during the Early Middle Ages. She is a Fellow of St Cross College, where she was Vice-Master from 2005 to 2008, and an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Helena has previously served on the Board of Visitors of the Ashmolean Museum and the Board of Curators of the Bodleian Libraries and was an elected member of the Council of the University of Oxford from 2016 to 2020. She is a Fellow of the British Academy, a former President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology and Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oxford Archaeology and the Board of Visitors of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and chairs the Historic England Advisory Committee.
