New Director-General at IWM
Diane Lees to Replace Sir Robert Crawford at Imperial War Museum
Sir Robert Crawford CBE, Director-General of the Imperial War Museum retires in October 2008. Diane Lees, Director of the Museum of Childhood, will step into his shoes.
Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, has recently approved the appointment of Diane Lees as Director-General of London's Imperial War Museum. Lees, currently Director of London's Museum of Childhood, will take the place of Sir Robert Crawford CBE on his retirement later this year. Lees will take responsibility for all five branches of the IWM.
Sir Robert Crawford CBE
Sir Robert's long association with the IWM has moved through many stages from Research Assistant in 1968 to Deputy Director-General in 1982 and Director-General in 1995. Sir Robert has been responsible for numerous redevelopment plans including:
- 1989 - Redevelopment of the museum's permanent galleries at Imperial War Museum London
- 1997 - The establishment of the American Air Museum at Imperial War Museum Duxford
- 2000 - The Holocaust exhibition and Education suite at Imperial War Museum London
- 2002 - Opening of Imperial War Museum North
- 2005 - The extension of the Cabinet War Rooms and the opening of the adjoining Churchill Museum
- 2007 - Opening of Air Space at Imperial War Museum Duxford
Sir Robert received a CBE in 2002 for his services to museums. In the New Year Honours List 2007 he was created a Knight Bachelor. Sir Robert Crawford will be a hard act to follow but Diane Lees has an equally impressive list of achievements.
Diane Lees
As Director of the Victoria & Albert's Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green in East London Lees has transformed what was formerly a fairly ordinary museum into a vibrant buzzing exhibition centre.
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said: "Diane Lees has done an amazing job at the Museum of Childhood. I'm sure she will be excellent in leading the Imperial War Museum in its exciting next phase of development and I'm delighted to see another woman join the ranks of the leaders in the museums sector."
After an early career as a buildings researcher Lees became interested in exhibitions and education and has been involved with some of the UK's most amazing projects such as the recovery and display of the historic ship Mary Rose now located in Portsmouth Harbour.
Lees was responsible for the establishment of England's only museum of law located in Nottingham and she also oversaw the creation of SPECTRUM – the UK standard for recording information about museum collections.
Lees is Vice Chair of the Association of Independent Museums, a trustee of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust, the Story Museum in Oxford and Kids in Museums.
The Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum represents the experiences of everyone who has taken part in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914. The Museum also offers outstanding facilities for study and education supported by comprehensive archives and collections.
