National Lottery Heritage Fund to join our master planning forums

We are delighted that the Chief Executive of National Lottery Heritage Fund, Ros Kerslake, is to join our Future Cities Forum master planning debate on 12th October.

Ros is a much valued member of our community and first spoke at our RIBA conference in January 2018 advising organisations on how best to apply for heritage funding.

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus Covid-19, there has been debate on the future of our cities, how best to master plan them for health and safety and the importance of protecting our heritage buildings for the benefit of our communities and wider visitor economy.

NLHF's vision is to inspire, lead and resource the UK's heritage 'to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future'. It believes that 'understanding, valuing and sharing our heritage brings people together, inspires pride in communities and boosts investment in local economies'

It is the largest dedicated grand funder of the UK's heritage and since 1994 has awarded over £8 billion to more than 44,000 projects across the UK, distributing grants from £3,000 to £5 million and over and provides leadership and support across the heritage sector, advocating for the value of heritage.

Ros Kerslake joined the organisation as Chief Executive in July 2016 from The Prince's Regeneration Trust where she was also CEO. She trained as a solicitor and started her career in legal roles before taking on wider leadership positions in the private sector, including for Gulf Oil and Booker Group.

As Property Director of Railtrack, she developed an interest in the issues around place and urban regeneration which have characterised her roles since. Ros went on to lead RegenCo - an urban regeneration company in the West Midlands - where she was the first CEO.

Among her achievements at The Prince's Trust, Ros led the team that saved one of the last working Victorian potteries in the UK, Middleport Pottery, bringing new life and business to the restored site.

Ros is a non-executive director of U and I Group, the regeneration based property developer, and a member of the Community, Voluntary & Local Services Honours Advisory Committee. Ros was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year's Honours list for services to British Heritage. She holds two honorary doctorates from Staffordshire and Keele Universities, for her work in heritage and regeneration, and has a degree in Law and Psychology and an MBA.