The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, Tom
Holland, Dr. Tiffany Jenkins, Martha Kearney and Claudia
Winkleman as trustees of the British Museum; their four year
terms started on 19 March 2025.
Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE
Daniel is a columnist on The Times newspaper and a member of the
House of Lords. He is also the author of a family memoir and
history of the Second World War, ‘Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad'.
He joined the Times in 2001 having previously worked as an
adviser to John Major when Sir John was serving as Prime Minister
and when he was leader of the
Opposition.
He is a patron of the Wiener Holocaust Library, a director of
Chelsea FC, and the Chair of the Chelsea FC Foundation. In 1997
he was awarded an OBE as Director of Research for the
Conservative Central Office.
Tom Holland
Tom is an award-winning historian, translator and broadcaster. He
has written books about the Graeco-Persian wars; Roman history
from the fall of the Republic to the age of Hadrian; empire and
religion in late antiquity; Anglo-Saxon England; 11th century
Latin Christendom; and the evolution and impact on the world of
Christianity. He has translated Herodotus and Suetonius for
Penguin Classics.
He is co-presenter of the history podcast, The Rest is History.
He has written and presented numerous TV documentaries, on
subjects ranging from the Islamic State to dinosaurs. He is a
Board Member of the British Library and an honorary fellow of
Queens' College, Cambridge.
Dr. Tiffany Jenkins
Tiffany is a writer and academic. Her latest book, ‘Strangers and
Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life', is set to be
published in May 2025. Previous publications include ‘Keeping
Their Marbles: How the Treasures of the Past Ended up in Museums
and Why They Should Keep Them' (2016) and ‘Contesting Human
Remains in Museum Collections: The Crisis of Cultural Authority'
(2010).
She has served as an honorary fellow in the History of Art at the
University of Edinburgh and as a visiting fellow in the
Department of Law at the London School of Economics. Her
broadcasting contributions include presenting the series ‘A
History of Secrecy, Contracts of Silence', and ‘Beauty and the
Brain: What Science Can and Cannot Tell Us About Art' for BBC
Radio 4. Additionally, she frequently appears as a critic on
Radio 4's Front Row, and her opinion pieces have been published
in The Observer, Financial Times, The Spectator, and The
Scotsman, where she previously served as a weekly opinion
columnist.
Martha Kearney
Martha Kearney is a BBC presenter. She has presented the Today
programme, The World at One, Woman's Hour and Newsnight Review.
As well as being Political Editor of Newsnight, she reported from
Northern Ireland for many years and has had many overseas
assignments including several trips to Afghanistan.
Martha was educated in Edinburgh and at Oxford University where
she studied classics. Archaeology remains a lifelong passion.
After leaving Today in 2024 Martha has launched a new interview
series for BBC Radio Four called This Natural Life.
Claudia Winkleman
As a child, Claudia went to the National Gallery and British
Museum almost every Saturday morning with her father, igniting a
passion which eventually led her to study History of Art at
Cambridge University in 1993.
After graduation, Claudia went on to work in television and radio
and has done so for the past 30 years. She has hosted shows such
as Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors, The Piano and The Great
British Sewing Bee. Claudia hosted the Radio 2 Arts Show for six
years before hosting her eponymous show every Saturday morning at
10. In 2023 she won the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance.
Claudia has written weekly columns for The Independent and The
Sunday Times and continues to write for The Times. She is a
Trustee for Comic Relief, a patron for Child Bereavement UK, and
an Ambassador for The King's Trust.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Trustees of the British Museum are not remunerated. These
appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance
Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is
regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments.
Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by
an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is
defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a
recordable donation, or candidature for election. Tom Holland,
Dr. Tiffany Jenkins, Martha Kearney and Claudia Winkleman have
not declared any significant political activity.
Lord Daniel Finkelstein has declared he has been a parliamentary
candidate and a party official for the Conservative Party, and a
parliamentary candidate for the Social Democratic Party. He also
canvassed for both parties and held minor party office at a local
level for both. He currently has the Conservative whip in the
House of Lords.
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42
Public Bodies including Arts
Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport
and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from
talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of
the United Kingdom. To find out more about Public
Appointments or to apply to be a Trustee of a National Museum or
Gallery visit the HM Government
Public Appointments Website.
