Society of Genealogists appoints new Chief Executive

The English based Society of Genealogists (www.sog.org.uk) has appointed a new Chief Executive - here's the announcement:

The Society of Genealogists has appointed Philip Spedding as its new Chief Executive.

Philip joins the Society from the Royal Albert Hall, having previously been Director of Development at The London Library and also Executive Director at Arts & Business for 16 years.

Philip joins the Society from the Royal Albert Hall, having previously been Director of Development at The London Library and also Executive Director at Arts & Business for 16 years. He will take up the role on 1st July 2024.

He brings an impressive portfolio of knowledge and experience from his career of over 25 years in the creative and cultural sectors, including senior responsibility for strategy and business development, individual giving programmes, fundraising and external development plans at organisations as diverse as Tate, The British Library and The Charities Aid Foundation. Philip holds a Bachelor of Commerce (specialising in Finance) from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Philip said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Society of Genealogists, especially at such an exciting time in a splendid new home. It is a real privilege to be taking up this role and to be entrusted with steering the Society in a new chapter of its illustrious history. I know from personal experience how researching a family history is a deeply satisfying way of finding out more about ourselves and our personal history. The Society of Genealogists occupies a unique place in genealogy and invaluably aids this journey for members in the UK and across the world, myself included. I am looking forward to meeting my colleagues, volunteers and members, all of whom continue to play a key part in our enduring success.”

With a membership packed with educational benefits, and a Research Hub housing a unique archive and library of family history records and resources, the Society of Genealogists, which was founded in 1911, remains dedicated to its unique mission to help people discover their heritage, no matter what their background or level of expertise.

Graham Walter, Chair of the Society of Genealogists, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Philip into this role at such an exciting time for the Society of Genealogists. We have just completed our move to a marvellous new headquarters and library in London N1 and carried out a significant upgrade of our membership services and digital infrastructure. Philip brings significant experience as a proven senior executive and leader in the voluntary sector and a real passion for the Society and its mission”.

Graham added: “We are very grateful to our Interim Co-CEO’s, Natalie Pithers and Rebecca Gregory, who remain valued members of the Society’s team of passionate employees.”

Natalie and Rebecca commented: “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time as Interim Co-CEO’s, especially the successful launch of Gold Membership. We’re so proud of the new gold video library of talks and have been delighted by member feedback.”

(With thanks to the SOG via email)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Saul Nassé appointed Chief Executive of the National Archives at Kew

The National Archives at Kew, England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) carries many records for Scotland and Ireland/Northern Ireland, usually for those collated on a British wide basis (e.g. military records, civil service records, etc), although there are some unique holdings also, such as those of the Royal Irish Constabulary prior to its disbandment at Partition in 1921.

The following was announced by the archive on Monday 8th April 2024:

Saul Nassé has been appointed by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport as Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives and will take up the post at the end of July. He takes over from Dr Jeff James who has led The National Archives successfully since 2014.

Saul Nassé is a Fellow of Robinson College, University of Cambridge and former Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment, the University’s examinations business.  In his eight years with the organisation, he developed new digital propositions, grew international reach, and deepened engagement with teams around the world.

Previously, Saul held leadership roles at the BBC both in the UK and India.  As Controller, BBC Learning, he led the teams that commissioned and produced educational content, such as Bitesize and Domesday Reloaded.

Congratulations to Saul on his appointment. The full statement is available at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/saul-nasse-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-and-keeper-of-the-national-archives/.

** There is no further news as yet on the appointments process for an equivalent new Chief Executive for the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk), fulfilling the role of Registrar General for Scotland and the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The position is currently being managed by 'Interim Chief Executive' Janet Edgell, who has now been in this temporary role for almost 14 months (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/02/interim-ceo-appointed-at-national.html). The deadline for the position was originally advertised in late 2022 and early 2023, the closing date for applicants being Thursday, February 16th 2023.

Chris  

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.