Martyn Heighton

Martyn Heighton, MA, D.Ed, AMA

Martyn was elected as Trustee in April 1998 and later became a member of the Board of Trustees. Martyn stood down for a year in 2007 and was re-elected in June 2008 and elected Vice Chairman in February 2009. Martyn is also a member of the Audit and Remuneration Sub-Committee, Endowment Committee and a Director of ss Great Britain Trading Ltd. After reading History at Cambridge, Martyn joined Oxfordshire Museums Service, and then went to Liverpool to direct the Merseyside Maritime Museum project in Albert Dock. In 1985 he became the first Director of Arts and Leisure for Bristol City Council, followed by spells as Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, the Management Board of the National Trust and initiating the 2006 Brunel 200 celebrations in the South West. He is now Director of National Historic Ships, the body set up by DCMS to promote the interests of historic vessels in the United Kingdom.

Martyn has served on many cultural bodies including the Royal Marines Museum; the Theatres Trust; chaired the South East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; was a Council member of the Association of Independent Museums and has been a regional committee and Expert Panel member for HLF. He sits on the Inland Waterways Advisory Council and United Kingdom Maritime Collections Strategy.