The Secretary of State has reappointed Pippa Shirley to RCEWA

Pippa Shirley

Reappointed for a four year term commencing 15 October 2022.

Pippa is the Director of Waddesdon Manor. She read History at Oxford before an MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute, London. Pippa worked in publishing as a Commissioning Editor for the Grove Dictionary of Art, then went to the British Museum as a curator in the then Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities.

In 1992 she moved to the Victoria & Albert Museum as a curator in the Metalwork, Silver and Jewellery Department, specialising in decorative ironwork and English and continental silver, working on three major gallery projects to redisplay the National Collections of ironwork and silver.

In 2000 she came to Waddesdon as Head of Collections, leading the curatorial team responsible for the contents of one of the most important National Trust properties in the country, home to a spectacular ensemble of continental decorative arts and English, French and Netherlandish paintings created by four generations of the Rothschild family. In 2015 oversight of the Gardens was added to her role, and she was made Director in 2022. The Manor is managed on behalf of the National Trust by a charitable trust, The Rothschild Foundation, under the chairmanship of Lord Rothschild. She has published and lectured on a range of subjects, including the history of collecting. She also represents Waddesdon across different media channels for both press and marketing and in her directorial and curatorial role.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees of the RCEWA are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Pippa Shirley has not declared any significant political activity.