03 Mar 2020

CBA Announce Neil Redfern as New Executive Director

The CBA are pleased to announce that Neil Redfern will succeed Mike Heyworth as Executive Director of the CBA.

Neil joins the CBA after a distinguished career in heritage, most recently as Development Advice Team Leader and Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Historic England. 

During his time at Historic England Neil led teams delivering award-winning development advice in Yorkshire, developed their response to major environmental threats as part of the National Heritage Protection Plan and initiated a major project on the Yorkshire Wolds to address monuments at risk from cultivation, amongst other achievements. 

Prior to this, Neil spent ten years with English Heritage as North Yorkshire Team Leader, Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Field Monument Warden. 

Between 1997 and 2000 he worked with the CBA as a Project Officer on its Defence of Britain project

Neil said: "I am delighted to be taking up this role with the CBA and looking forward to strengthening our role in championing archaeology in the United Kingdom. 

Our landscapes and cities contain the most fantastic stories locked away in the fabric of their buildings and the undulations in their fields. Our role is to help the public ask questions about their places, to drive curiosity and inquisitiveness and use archaeology to help create meaningful places and experiences for all."

The new CBA Executive Director is expected to take up his post on 2 April 2020, succeeding Dr Mike Heyworth MBE who will officially leave his post on 31 March 2020. 

CBA Chair of Trustees Ken Smith said: "While Mike will be a hard act to follow, trustees are confident that Neil is the right person to lead the CBA into a new era as its 75th anniversary comes to a close."

Neil joins at an exciting time for the CBA, as it progresses a transformation project to modernise the organisation and makes preparations for the 2020 Festival of Archaeology, which runs from 11-26 July with the theme of Climate and Environment.