Patience Wheatcroft appointed to the board of the British Museum
The Prime Minister has appointed Patience Wheatcroft to the Board of the British Museum for a period of 4 years from 2 August 2010.
Biographical Details
Patience Wheatcroft is the editor in chief, Europe, of The Wall Street Journal. Prior to joining the Journal, Ms. Wheatcroft served as a non-executive director of Barclays plc and Shaftesbury plc as well as a consultant on business and public affairs. In 2008, London Mayor Boris Johnson appointed her to chair The Mayor’s Forensic Audit Panel investigating the finance and governance of the Greater London Authority and London Development Agency. The Panel delivered its report later that year.
Up until this time, Patience had spent her career in journalism, culminating in the editorship of the Sunday Telegraph, which she took on in 2006. Previously, she was Business and City Editor of The Times for nine years from 1997, where she wrote a daily commentary column on business matters in addition to a weekly column addressing broader political and social issues. Her newspaper career began with the Daily Mail and included roles at the Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday and Daily Telegraph. In 1986, she launched the specialist trade publication, Retail Week, and edited it for five years.
She has appeared frequently on radio and television and is a regular speaker at conferences and dinners. She has won the Wincott Award for Senior Financial Journalism and several other industry awards, and in 2006, she received an honorary doctorate from City University in London.
She is a member of the British Olympic Association Advisory Board, the UK/India Round Table and the Council of the Royal Albert Hall, a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation and a member of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford.
Notes to Editors
1. The British Museum was founded by Parliament in 1753 with the purpose of enabling citizens, of both Britain and the world, to understand the world. Since its foundation, the Museum has been governed by a Board of Trustees who hold for the benefit of humanity, present and future, a collection representative of all the world’s cultures. They are responsible for ensuring that the collection is housed in safety and used for worldwide public benefit. The Trustees embody and represent the public interest within the Museum.
2. The posts are not remunerated. Reasonable expenses can be claimed.
The appointments have been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. Appoints are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. Patience Wheatcroft has not undertaken any significant political activity in the UK during the past five years