“I am very grateful for this award. Investing in heritage is hugely important – it creates jobs, supports wellbeing, tourism and local economies and makes our towns, cities and rural areas better places to live. It’s a great honour to work in a sector that makes such a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Ros has been CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund since July 2016. She was previously CEO of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust.

Ros Kerslake said: “I am very grateful for this award. It comes at a time when heritage is facing the greatest challenge in my lifetime, and I would like to pay testament to everyone in the heritage sector, and in particular my colleagues at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have worked so hard to respond quickly and effectively to the COVID-19 crisis, ensuring that important heritage is saved for future generations.

“Investing in heritage is hugely important – it creates jobs, supports wellbeing, tourism and local economies and makes our towns, cities and rural areas better places to live. It’s a great honour to work in a sector that makes such a positive difference to people’s lives.

“In May I returned to work following six months of treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. After a speedy diagnosis and excellent medical care from NHS staff at The Royal Marsden, I am thankfully now cancer free. Having faced these considerable challenges, this honour is a lovely reason to celebrate and feel positive about the future.”

Rene Olivieri, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “All of us at The National Lottery Heritage Fund are delighted to see this well-deserved recognition of a colleague who always strives to do the right thing. Ros is a brilliant and fearless leader who cares deeply about people and about heritage.”

Ros at The National Lottery Heritage Fund

During Ros’s time at The National Lottery Heritage Fund she has overseen more than £1bn of National Lottery funding awards to the UK heritage sector, including for Paisley Museum, Hull Maritime City, The Fitted Rigging House at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Bevis Marks Synagogue, Templemore Baths in Belfast, and the National Broadcast Archive for Wales.

She has also led the transformation of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, strengthening its leadership role and innovation, and bringing in a new five-year Strategic Funding Framework.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, The National Lottery Heritage Fund launched a £50m Heritage Emergency Fund, awarding grants to 950 organisations across the UK affected by the crisis.

Ros has also overseen the distribution of substantial Government funding to support organisations through the crisis – the £92m Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the £40m Green Recovery Challenge Fund, to support the nature and environmental sector.  

More about Ros Kerslake

Ros holds two honorary doctorates, from Staffordshire and Keele Universities, for her work in heritage and regeneration, is a (non-practising) solicitor. She has a degree in Law and Psychology and an MBA. In 2016 Ros was awarded an OBE for services to heritage and regeneration.

Ros is a non-executive director of U + I Group PLC. She and her husband Stuart Sim, who live near Dorking in Surrey, have three children and have fostered more than 50 children over the last 10 years.