The Future of Heritage Conservation

Caroline has been with CIOB since 2019 and is responsible for the Institute’s leadership, supported by a team of directors and senior staff who are subject matter experts in their field.
This appointment followed the extensive business leadership experience Caroline gained in the UK and overseas, within the automotive and capital goods sectors, and membership organisation leadership within EEF Ltd / Make UK.
Caroline also serves as a Director of the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Export & International Trade, a Trustee of CIOB Assist (CIOB’s benevolent fund) and has been appointed as Visiting Professor of Global Engagement and Transformation – Built Environment at Loughborough University’s School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering. She also received, in 2023, an Honorary Doctor of Science award from the University of Wolverhampton.
Caroline is leading a member-focussed global transformation of the Institute, with the support of CIOB’s Trustee Board. She is particularly interested in the potential of construction to be a force for positive societal change, focussing on driving the cultural shift in EDI, social mobility, worker welfare and in promoting quality and sustainability in construction.

Laura joined York Minster Fund as Research & Development Project Manager in 2018. This is a consultancy role through BStreamlined Limited, a business Laura established and has run since 2015 that provides process improvement and cost saving activities. A manufacturing engineer by profession, Laura is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Laura began her career at JCB, working in a variety of engineering and commercial roles. Her role at the Minster involves identifying best practice in heritage skills, investigating new techniques and technologies to enhance the historic skill base and to increase the volume of conservation that can be undertaken. Key projects include digitisation of measurement and documentation, computer numerical controlled CNC cutting technology, handling equipment and project management. In 2022 Laura’s role changed to Research and Partnerships Manager and her focus is now specifying and procuring technology for the York Minster Centre of Excellence in Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management whilst researching the future of technology in heritage. Laura is actively working to identify and establish strategic partnerships across the world.

I originally graduated in Town and Country Planning, then worked as a local authority Planner before returning to university to complete an MA in Building Conservation, intending to become a Conservation Officer. However, a passion for traditional materials and vernacular buildings led me to develop my own contractual business undertaking repairs to, and advising upon, traditional buildings for over 15 years.

I joined the National Trust 12 years ago, initially managing a direct labour team, but went on to become a RICS Chartered Building Surveyor covering the Trust’s Herefordshire portfolio and then later as a Senior Building Surveyor in Wales, by which time I was RICS Conservation Accredited.

As the current Head of Skills and Crafts I am part of a Central Building Team that supports the National Trust’s built environment function, which cares for the Trust’s 29,000 buildings (including 500 significant country houses, castles and mansions), delivering the Trust’s charitable purpose of providing nature, history and beauty for the nation, ‘for ever, for everyone’.

One of my key workstreams is to support the development of the Trust’s Specialist Crafts teams, which were established in 2022, so that we have our own in-house building craftspeople and deliver a pipeline of new talent through our heritage skills apprenticeship programme, whilst also creating more social value via engagement and outreach.

I am passionate about heritage skills training and keen to develop collaborative partnerships to encourage wider participation to promote diversity and inclusion.

Gerard Lemos CMG CBE has been the Chair of English Heritage since January 2023. His vision is to further increase access to and investment in the National Heritage Collection.
He is also Chair of His Majesty's Prisons and Probation Service, NS&I, London Institute of Banking and Finance and Hofesh Shechter Company.
He is a social scientist and the author of many books and reports about social policy including The Good Prison: Conscience, Crime and Punishment and The End of the Chinese Dream Why Chinese People Fear the Future. He is a former trustee of Dartington Hall Trust in South Devon, where he lives, and started his career renovating listed houses for social housing in Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia as Director of Development for a housing association.

Louise Cooke is a Senior Lecturer in Conservation at the University of York. Her work is focused on heritage conservation and sustainability with a particular focus on earth buildings and archaeological sites. She directs three postgraduate programs in Conservation at the University of York – the MA Conservation of Historic Buildings, MA in International Conservation Studies and MA Sustainable Built Heritage, focussing on conservation pedagogy and integrating practice-based skills and knowledge within the curriculum. She was a founding member and now Chair of Trustees for the charity Earth Building UK and Ireland (EBUKI) advocating for earth building and sustainability in the built environment.

I began my career with a degree in Art History and Archaeology and a Masters in Cultural Heritage, and this has given me a fairly unique view on the preservation of historic buildings from the perspective of the contractor. I joined conservation and heritage specialists Messenger BCR five years ago, initially writing reports that documented repairs, as well as learning practical techniques on-site.  This gave me both an appreciation for the skills that the team have, as well as a deep understanding of fundamental conservation methods.

Now my role as Conservation Manager allows me to combine my background in heritage studies with project management to successfully deliver historic building conservation projects for Messenger. 

At Messenger we’re very lucky to have a highly experienced and talented conservation team, but there is still a significant gap in skills due to a lack of industry-wide, sustainable training programmes. We currently take on our own trainees that learn on-site from our teams, but unfortunately this is not a long-term solution to fix an endemic problem. I believe this is a problem that can be best solved through collaboration between contractors, clients and course providers.

Dianna is an architect of over 25 years’ experience who specialises in the sensitive conservation and renewal of the historic built environment.

She has extensive experience of new build and refurbishment projects working extensively at nationally important historic sites and has written numerous heritage assessments.

Dianna heads up the Heritage Team at Bidwells, one of the UKs leading property consultancies.

Clara is the President of ICOMOS-UK and chairs ICOMOS-UK’S Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee which she founded in 2012. Her involvement, as a senior manager and non-executive member, in the planning and delivery of arts and heritage services in the UK spans local government, community sector, and Non-Government Departments over a period of 30 years. She was Deputy Director Operations at UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund, senior manager responsible for research and strategic policy and planning in several local authorities and a member of the Culture Committee at the UK National Commission for UNESCO. She also chaired the London Mayor’s Heritage and Diversity Task Force and the Open University’s research board on Cultural Rights and Kenya’s New Constitution, and was the Judge of the 2022 Annual IHBC Gus Astley Student Award.
Her international roles have included: Vice President of the International Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, a member of the Rights-Based Approaches and World Heritage Working Groups at ICOMOS International, and a member of the Strategic Review Committee at ICOM International. Clara contributed to the EU Commission on EU-funded interventions on cultural heritage in 2018.
Clara has consulted on cultural heritage in Europe, Canada and America and the Arab region for academic, community and arts and heritage sectors. This work includes the design and delivery of workshops for the following: Masters course at the centre for Museums Studies, University of Oslo; a seminar for arts and heritage professionals at the University of Toronto; workshops on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Landscapes for the Summer School at the Nida Arts Colony, in Lithuania, and contributed to the Roundtable Meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Russian International Cultural Forum in 2018.
Clara organises and chairs roundtable and panel discussions for international audiences on conservation of built heritage during times of peace time and crisis and has delivered seminal events focusing on the need for embedding intangible cultural heritage, impacts of climate change and rights-based approaches into conservation generally and in relation to indigenous, migrant and Diaspora communities. Clara comments on equalities and inclusion issues regularly.

Morwenna is a Conservation accredited Chartered Building Surveyor specialising in climate change, vulnerability, adaptation, and energy efficiency. As a visible leader across Net Zero and Climate Change more broadly  she has expertise in the policy and technical agenda which is informed her practical experience of estate and site management, surveying, defect diagnosis and research.

Providing a national technical facilitation and advisory service, Morwenna has wide ranging experience of onsite delivery and estate management along with strategic decision making, strategy creation, policy and influencing. She has extensive stakeholder engagement and management experience including Government departments, NGOs, academia, media and commercial.

She currently leads a multidisciplinary team within the National Specialist Services Department of Historic England which focused on adaptation in the built environment. The team undertakes research, provides technical guidance and produces accessible information to a wide range of audiences. 

Morwenna is a Trustee for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), a full member of the Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation (IHBC) and technical panel member and an external examiner for Kingston University. 

Barbara has worked for VELUX for almost 26 years, with a Masters Degree in Construction Management, and also a Guest Lecturer at the University of Bolton, where she holds a Board position as Vice Chair of the Industrial Advisory Board. 

Barbara joined the CIOB as a student member and is currently the Chair of Lancashire and Cumbria CIOB and also a Fellow of the CIOB.  She also sits on External Affairs and Policy Board for the CIOB, which is there to provide a body of expertise to assist the CIOB in the development of its Global external Policy. 

Having a great interest in Building Conservation and also forming part of her studies, Barbara has been fortunate to work on the VELUX Heritage Project from the very start, over the course of several years. 

As part of the Heritage Research team, Barbara was involved in developing an acceptable, functional, aesthetically pleasing product that will fit in with the building but also bring new light and life into that Building and therefore extending the life of the property.

Her current role allows her to work in the English Lake District and National Park, and looking after our Heritage means so much to so many, and I for one want to be part of that.

Daniel has worked in the arts, crafts and heritage sectors for the past 18 years. He was one of the founders of Heritage Crafts back in 2009 whilst he was working for Creative Lives (formerly Voluntary Arts), the national charity set up to promote active participation in everyday creativity. He led Heritage Crafts’ Pre-Apprenticeship project in West Somerset in 2017, and was commissioned in 2018 to lead the research on the second edition of Red List of Endangered Crafts, before being recruited onto the staff team in 2019. He is a Trustee of Arts&Heritage, an Ambassador of The Fathom Trust, a judge for the Global Eco Artisan Awards, and a Committee of Recommendation Member for the Ambacht in Beeld Festival in the Netherlands.

•Robert joined Paye Stonework & Restoration in 1994 From a traditional contracting background and an early career as a site engineer for Sir Robert McAlpine. With over 35 years experience in cleaning, repairing, reconstructing and conserving historic masonry buildings, Robert provides a wealth of knowledge and experience to every project undertaken by Payet.​ He is committed to developing skilled crafts people and designers of the future, as well as being responsible for the R&D area of the business​.​ 

Rebecca joined St Paul’s Cathedral as Director of Property in August 2023. Prior to taking on this role, Rebecca was the Senior Estate Manager for English Heritage, looking after all properties in the North of England. Rebecca is an ambassador for our historic environment, sustainability and climate resilience, and heritage craft skills. She is a Fellow of the CIOB and Past President 2017 - 2018. She is a member and Vice President of IHBC; the Merchant Adventurers of the City of York; the Worshipful Company of Constructors.

David has worked in construction for over 40 years starting his career as a mason's mate to a post war mason specialising in new build stonework and fine internal marble finishes, progressing to become a mason fixer working on numerous new build developments during the 1980’s. David first joined Paye Stonework and Restoration in 1996. With his excellent all-round unique knowledge and experience, he is now part of the Pre-construction team, providing clients early-stage help and advice in addition to being responsible for hosting and presenting the very popular Paye CPD conservation site tours.

Beginning my journey in construction at the age of 17, I embarked as an apprentice carpenter and joiner in the historic buildings of Oxford. Today, I proudly serve as a construction ambassador for the CITB, engaging with youth across the county through various platforms, from schools to career fairs. Additionally, I hold the esteemed title of Fellow of the Institute of Carpenters and Joiners (FIOC), advocating for the enduring values of wood trades throughout the UK. My passion for the craft blossomed during my tenure with Knowles and Son Oxford, an esteemed builder established in 1797. Under the mentorship of Geoff Leitch, a seasoned site manager, I transitioned from carpentry to site management, discovering my true calling. With over a decade of experience spanning roles from assistant site manager to contracts manager, I excel in problem-solving and project delivery, driven by Ruskin's timeless dictum: "When we build, let us think that we build forever.

Juliet Baillie is Heritage Skills Manager at Historic England, where she is part of a team focused on heritage skills for the construction sector. She is currently working with consultants to deliver a Skills Needs Analysis for Repair, Maintenance and Retrofit for Traditional Buildings, focused on the skills supply of and demand for on-site construction skills. Previously she led a programme of construction training delivered as part of the National Lottery Heritage Funded supported capital works at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, the Grade I listed first iron framed building in the world, using the works as a case study for learning.

Rachael Baldwin-Gledhill has worked in Project Management for over twenty-five years, starting her career in the British Army, working in the Royal Engineers

On leaving the army, she returned to University, studying History (BA) and Heritage Management (MA) and began her career in Heritage Project Management, working for the National Trust.

Along with The National Trust, she has worked for York Minster, The Burrell Collection, The Churches Conservation Trust and most recently with English Heritage, developing and delivering a variety of conservation and capital investment projects, ranging in complexities and values.

 Her most recent role as Senior National Project Manager for English Heritage, involved projects such as Clifford’s Tower, York, Audley End Masterplan, Essex, Grimes Graves Neolithic Flint Mine, Norfolk and Berwick Barracks Project, in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Rachael has just recently started her own company, Lantern Heritage Consultants Ltd, working with clients across the heritage and culture industry.