Our Team

Senior Leadership Team

Tim Desmond

Tim Desmond: Chief Executive Officer

Tim joined the museum in November 2017 having previously been Chief Executive of the National Justice Museum where he developed the Public Legal Education Syndicates model at courts in London and Manchester. He has over 20 years’ experience in the sector including having been a Visiting Professor at Nottingham Trent University and on the boards of East Midlands Museum Service, Museum Development East Midlands, Arts Council England (Midlands) and Experience Nottinghamshire. His early career was spent in the theatre and later as a drama teacher across the UK and Ireland.

Dr. Gabrielle Heffernan: Content Director

Gabrielle joined NFM in August 2022. With a background in curating museum collections, Gabrielle brings a decade of experience in heritage, most recently overseeing the Curatorial Team and working as part of the capital development project team at Tullie House. Additionally, she sits on the Arts Council England Designation Panel and is a trustee of the Story Museum in Oxford.

Janine Ross: Marketing & Communications Director

Janine joined the organisation in August 2022, bringing over 20 years’ experience in marketing, communications and business development across commercial and non-profit sectors, most recently as Head of Marketing & Business Development with the Liverpool FC Foundation. She has also held roles with Liverpool ONE, The Florence Institute Trust, The Beatles Story and Visit Liverpool.

Mike Wells: Finance & Commercial Director

Mike joined the organisation in December 2019, bringing nearly 30 years’ experience in finance, commercial and operations management experience across both commercial and non-profit organisations. His previous appointments include McDonald’s Restaurants, Manchester United FC and Manchester United Foundation.


Executive Team

Tim Desmond, CEO

Executive Assistant: Heather Cooper
Vacant: Fundraising Manager


Operations

Anthony Willder, COO

Visitor Experience Team
Darren Collingwood: Operations Manager

Kristina Matusaitis: Visitor Experience Coordinator
Aron Royle: Visitor Experience Coordinator
Daniel Johnson: Visitor Experience Coordinator
​​​​​​​Esme Chambers: Admissions Team Leader
Laura Gritti: Team Leader (Stock Control)

Technical Team
Jeff Starkey: Technical Manager
Joe Dootson: Technician


Content

Gabrielle Heffernan, Director of Content

Alistair Wilkinson: Creative Lead

Collections Team
Wiebke Cullen: Collections Manager
Dr. Peter Holme: Curator
Dr. Alexander Jackson: Curator
Marek Romaniszyn: Curator
Elisha Foster: Curatorial Coordinator
Beth Williamson: Cataloguer

Project Team
Bal Singh: Project Manager (Football Creates)
Paloma Front: Digital Producer (Projects)

Communities Team
Jenny Mutch: Programme Manager
Louise Rutherford: Participation Producer (Communities & Young People)
​​​​​​​Dara Laughlin: Participation Producer (Schools & Families)
Aimee Broughton: Participation Producer (Communities & Outreach – Preston)
Charlie Dean: Volunteer Coordinator


Marketing & Communications

Janine Ross, Marketing & Communications Director

Marketing & Communications Team
Katie May: Marketing & Communications Manager
​​​​​​​Craig Dobson: Marketing & Communications Coordinator


Finance & Commercial

Mike Wells, Finance & Commercial Director

Finance Team
Sheryse Kennedy: Finance Manager
Nita Mistry: Finance Assistant

Commercial Team
Laurie Bowe: Venue Sales Manager
Dave Edwards: Business Development Manager

HR Team
Jennie Hart: HR Manager