Announcement of new CCT Chair and Trustees

The Queen has approved the appointments of Mrs Elizabeth Peace CBE as Chair of the Churches Conservation Trust, Sir Simon Jenkins’ re-appointment as a trustee and Dr Oliver Cox and Mr Inayat Omarji MBE as trustees, each for a three-year term.

Liz has been a member of the Churches Conservation Trust since 2013 and has a strong interest in heritage. She was Chief Executive of the British Property Federation for thirteen years and was awarded a CBE for services to the property industry. She has experience of turning strategy into delivery plans and has a strong understanding and commitment to diversity and inclusion in the property and heritage sectors.

Simon is an author and journalist, and former Chairman of the National Trust. He has a keen interest and knowledge of historic churches and has been a Member of the Churches Conservation Trust since 2015.

He brings specialist knowledge and expertise of church buildings. He now has more time to devote to the Trust in what will be his final term of office. He will aid the Trust to identify future candidates who could bring the same degree of external credibility in his field to the Board.

Inayat has been instrumental on leading the development of All Souls Bolton, one of the Churches Conservation Trust’s flagship projects and has been a strong advocate for the work of the Trust in the local community. He has a passionate interest in community engagement and was awarded an MBE for services to Built Heritage and the Community in Bolton. He has strong strategic leadership experience gained from his career as a senior manager in the statutory and charity sector, in particular working with Black and Minority Ethnic communities, supporting many local and national partners and organisations to make a difference at grassroots.

Oliver is an academic historian. As Heritage Engagement Fellow, he leads Oxford University’s Humanities Division’s engagement with both the UK and international heritage sectors. He has a strong understanding of the role of church buildings at the heart of local communities and has a wealth of experience and connections in the academic sector.