News story: Culture Secretary Reappoints two Historic England Commissioners

Alex Balfour

Alex Balfour is a globally recognised leader in building and digital capability and optimising digital performance for sport, media, consumer and entertainment brands. Alex is currently Chief Executive Officer of Digital Brand Services. Previously Alex was Chief Digital Officer of Haymon Boxing, the creators of Premier Boxing Champions which reintroduced boxing to prime time network television in the USA for the first time in 30 years.

Before that Alex Balfour was Head of New Media for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). At LOCOG he built a team from scratch that has delivered 77 digital channels to a worldwide audience of over 150 million during the Games in 2012. Alex’s career in digital media began in 1994. Since then he has edited GE’97, the UK’s first General Election Website, made the first consumer Internet call to a traditional telephone and developed the first online government consultation. He went on to become part of the team that produced the Guardian Newspaper’s first significant websites.

Victoria Harley

Victoria Harley is a manager of Brampton Bryan Estate, Herefordshire, and concentrates on preservation and reuse of traditional historic buildings, together with landscape conservation.

Through links with the Historic Houses Association, she has wide experience in the management of historic houses. She was previously director of Sotheby’s Carpet Department and latterly a freelance consultant.

She served on the National Trust Midlands Advisory Board for seven years and was a trustee of the Offa’s Dyke Association. Victoria is a member of the Hereford Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee and is a governor of two schools. Victoria was appointed as an English Heritage Commissioner in 2014. She serves additionally on the Historic Estate Conservation Committee, the Designation Review Committee, and the Ditherington Flax Mills Programme Board.

Both Alex and Victoria receive remuneration of £4090 per annum. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Alex Balfour has declared that he has not carried out any such political activity. Victoria Harley has confirmed that she assisted a local Conservative candidate on the general election day in 2015.