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Jennifer Francis appointed Director of External Affairs at Museum of London

Jennifer Francis, Director of External Affairs at Museum of London

Jennifer Francis, Director of External Affairs

© Museum of London

23 June 2023 – The Museum of London has today announced the appointment of Jennifer Francis as its new Director of External Affairs.

A pivotal member of the Executive Team, the new role will see Jennifer head up the External Affairs Directorate including the museum’s Communications, Digital Innovation and Development teams. She will work closely with Museum of London Director Sharon Ament to build income and partnerships, as well as driving brand awareness, public support and audience engagement.

An internationally-recognised, entrepreneurial leader in the culture and heritage sector, Jennifer’s appointment follows a role at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA, where she served as Director of Brand and Marketing from 2020 to 2023. Before this, Jennifer held executive and senior leadership roles at a range of organisations including Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA and the Royal Academy of Arts, UK where she was Head of Press and Marketing for eight years. She is a trustee of Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and Chair of the Marketing and Sales Committee, as well as an Advisory Board Member at Attenborough Arts Centre.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for the museum as it moves to a new home in Smithfield. Its London Wall site closed as a visitor attraction in December 2022 after 45 years, allowing it to undertake the careful process of decanting 10,000 items from its London Wall galleries and re-organising its seven million strong collection. It will welcome its first visitors to a festival curated by Londoners at Smithfield in 2025, before opening to the public under its new name- The London Museum- in 2026.

At this time of transformation, the Museum of London Docklands takes centre stage as the museum’s main site, with a year-long programme of events to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2023 and a major exhibition Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style planned for autumn. Under the leadership of Managing Director Douglas Gilmore, Jennifer’s team will support a new strategy to see it become one of the most evocative museums in London’s cultural landscape whilst delivering on the organisation’s overarching goal to reach more people, become better known and engage every young person in the city.

Jennifer Francis, Director of External Affairs, Museum of London said: “As a proud Londoner, I’m honoured to take up this role at the Museum of London and look forward to playing a leading part in delivering its game-changing vision to become one of the most well-known cultural destinations in the UK and worldwide.”

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said: “I am more than delighted that Jennifer is joining the Museum’s Executive Team in this incredibly important role. In the run up to opening a world-class city museum in the heart of London’s historic centre, her energy, experience, creativity and flair will be a huge asset. Watch this space London!”

Further information: www.museumoflondon.org.uk

-ENDS-

Notes for editors

For more press information please contact Ashton Bainbridge, PR Manager at the Museum of London on 07967313176 or [email protected]

About the Museum of London

The Museum of London tells the ever-changing story of this great world city and its people, from 450,000 BC to the present day. Our galleries, exhibitions, displays, and activities seek to inspire a passion for London and provide a sense of the vibrancy that makes the city such a unique place.

About The Museum of London Docklands

The Museum of London Docklands is located at West India Quay in east London. Opened in 2003, this grade one listed converted Georgian sugar warehouse specifically tells the story of the port, river and city – focusing on trade, migration and commerce in London.

The museum is open Wednesday - Sunday 10am – 5pm and is FREE to all. You can explore the Museum of London with collections online – home to 90,000 objects with more being added regularly. www.museumoflondon.org.uk