Carole Souter appointed Interim Chair of Historic Royal Palaces

Carole Souter is currently Master of St Cross College, University of Oxford and served as Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History She is also a Trustee of the Oxford Preservation Trust, the Horniman Museum and the London Emergencies Trust and a Lay Canon of Salisbury Cathedral.

Carole was Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund from 2003 to 2016. She previously worked in the Departments of Health, Social Security and the Cabinet Office, before moving out of the civil service.

She was awarded a CBE for services to conservation in 2011 and elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2014.

Remuneration and Governance Code

This interim appointment has been made whilst the process to appoint a substantive Chair is re-run. The Chair of Historic Royal Palaces is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Carole Souter has declared no activity.