The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) has appointed Alastair McCapra as the next Chair of its Board of Trustees, to succeed current Co-Chairs Nancy Bell and Professor May Cassar at the AGM on 16 December 2015.
The NHSF writes:
Alastair is CEO of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). His previous experience is as CEO of the Landscape Institute, the professional body of landscape architects, and as CEO of the Institute of Conservation.
Alastair gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee inquiry into Science and Heritage in 2006 and convened the first stakeholder meeting to establish the National Heritage Science Strategy; he also championed the adoption of Building Information Modelling in landscape architecture between 2011 and 2013. In 2014 the CIPR was the first professional body in the UK to hold a public debate on the ethics of wearable technology.
From 2013-15 Alastair served as a trustee of Wikimedia UK, the charity which promotes the development of Wikipedia and other open knowledge projects. He is currently also a trustee of the International Rameau Ensemble. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, a Fellow of the Institution of Association Management, a member of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and a member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
Alastair commented, ‘I am delighted to have the opportunity of working with the heritage science community once again. The Forum plays a critical role in advancing research and public engagement and that agenda has probably never been as important as it is now. We live in very challenging times and the Forum must provide the leadership we need to make sure that UK heritage science remains a world leader’.
Nancy Bell and May Cassar, current co-Chairmen of NHSF welcomed his appointment ‘Alastair has the combination of vision and experience that will help NHSF to take forward its ambitious programme of work that centres on supporting partnerships, facilitating resource-sharing and informing policy’.
Alastair will deliver the keynote speech at NHSF’s Members & Friends event on 16 December. The theme ‘Cash for Data?’ will explore the questions raised by the potential for the commercialisation of heritage science data.
View the press release and find out more about the Heritage Science Forum
