Steve has been the V&A’s Head of Estate for the past 12 years, responsible for maintaining, conserving and developing and growing the grade one listed estate of the world’s leading museum of art and design. During this time, Steve has overseen and supported the expansion of the museum into Scotland (V&A Dundee), and the extension of the estate in South Kensington with the Exhibition Road Quarter providing new gallery spaces and facilities for the key flagship London site. This period has also seen the development and evolving design and construction of two new, key facilities in East London – the new V&A East museum in the Olympic Park and the nearby Collection Research Centre. Steve has been at the forefront of the evolving estate operational plan on these projects to ensure the new facilities provide the very best experience for the needs of the 21st Century. Young V&A (formerly Museum of Childhood) in Bethnal Green has also benefited from Steve’s vision and direction, and is another site for which he has been responsible.
With over 25 years of experience in the public-facing cultural sector, prior to the V&A Steve was Director of Operations at Sadlers Wells Theatre and before that Head of Facilities & Operations at Vinopolis – City of Wine, preceeded by Head of Technical Services (London) for the Tussauds’ Group.
He believes passionately in the importance and power of museum estates to enrich the visitor experience as well as the wellbeing of staff, whilst supporting the incredibly important role that museums play particularly in the areas of conservation and research, and Steve has contributed this viewpoint to some of the most important cultural capital projects of the last fifteen years.