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Doug Gurr appointed new Director of the Natural History Museum
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Douglas Gurr as the new Director of the Museum. The appointment has been approved by the Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP.
Doug will take over from current Director Sir Michael Dixon who last year announced his intention to step down.
He is Country Manager of Amazon UK and was President of Amazon China from 2014 to 2016. He was Chair of the Board of the Science Museum from 2010 to 2014.
His previous roles include teaching mathematics and computing at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He has also held senior roles in Government, worked as a partner at consultancy firm McKinsey, Board Director at Asda-Walmart and was founder and CEO of internet start-up Blueheath.
Doug is currently Chairman of the British Heart Foundation, a Trustee of the National Gallery, a Trustee of the Landmark Trust and non-executive Director of the Land Registry.
He has two degrees in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Computing from the University of Edinburgh.
Speaking of his appointment, Doug said: “The Natural History Museum’s vision of a future where people and planet thrive has never been more relevant and it is a privilege to be invited to lead this globally important cultural and scientific institution.
“I am passionate about the work the Museum is doing to tackle the planetary emergency by using its unrivalled collection and leading scientific research to connect millions of people a year with nature. I can’t wait to join the team.”
Natural History Museum Chair Lord Stephen Green said: “Doug’s academic background, considerable experience in working with public service organisations and digital understanding make him ideal to lead our treasured Museum in our mission to create advocates for the planet. The Board of Trustees and I look forward to working with him at this time of challenges and opportunities for the Museum.”
Doug will join the Museum later this year.
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Notes for editors
Natural History Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654/ (0)779 969 0151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk
About the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.
It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.
The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.
The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.