Since 2014 Tony has been Executive Director of Derby Museums. Its collections were founded in 1783 by the polymath Erasmus Darwin and feature the largest collection of work by Joseph Wright of Derby, the artists of Enlightenment. Derby Museums portfolio includes the award winning Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill – a UNESCO World Heritage Site which opened in 2021 following a £18million refurbishment.
Prior to this, Tony was director of the Museum of East Anglian Life (now the Food Museum) for nine years. He repositioned the organisation as a social enterprise and led a major capital development programme involving the restoration of Abbot’s Hall, a Queen Anne mansion and associated buildings.
In 2011 he founded the Happy Museum Project, which created an international community – supporting over 60 UK museums – to explore how museums could champion wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
Tony is a committee member of the National Lottery Heritage Fund (Midlands and East), which distributes millions of pounds a year on cultural and natural heritage projects. He sits on the UK National Museums Director’s Council and its executive group, he is also a member of the small steering group leading the English Civic Museums Network.
Tony was the Museums Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme in 2007–2008 and is an Alumni of the US National Arts Strategies Executive Programme