Since 2014 Tony has been Executive Director of Derby Museums, which includes the award winning Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill – a UNESCO World Heritage Site which opened in 2021 following a £18million refurbishment. He sits on the UK National Museums Director’s Council and its executive group, he is also a member of the small steering group leading the English Civic Museums Network.
Prior to this, Tony was director of the Museum of East Anglian Life (now the Food Museum) for nine years. He repositioned the organisation as a social enterprise and led a major capital development programme involving the restoration of Abbot’s Hall, a Queen Anne mansion and associated buildings.
In 2011 he founded the Happy Museum Project, which created an international community – supporting over 60 UK museums – to explore how museums could champion wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
Tony was the Museums Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme in 2007–2008 and is an Alumni of the US National Arts Strategies Executive Programme.