COMPTON VERNEY.- Compton Verney announced the appointments of David Guilding and Louise Sinclair as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of Marketing and Admissions (HMA), respectively.

David joins the Warwickshire art gallery and park after leading Warwick District Council’s arts & heritage services for more than a decade. During this time, he and his team forged a reputation for delivering high quality activities in several of Leamington Spa’s renowned cultural venues, including the iconic, grade II listed Royal Pump Rooms, the Royal Spa Centre, and Leamington Town Hall.

As part of his role at the Council, David was responsible for providing the vision, direction, and operational oversight of the business and ensuring that it was artistically ambitious, effective, and financially sustainable in the longer term. He has also made a significant impact on the strategic development of the region's creative sector and supported a range of arts organisations and practitioners over the years.

His most recent achievement was a successful bid fund for £2.3m of capital investment from Arts Council England's Museum Estate and Development fund which was used for the Royal Pump Rooms’ roof replacement.

Already a membership holder of Compton Verney for many years, Guilding is passionate about art, nature, and creativity. He says: “I’m delighted to join the Compton Verney team at this point in their journey because I have experienced first-hand just how brilliantly they conserve this unique estate for future generations whilst telling the stories of their incredible collections in accessible, contemporary ways. We share an ambition to create exceptional visitor experiences with innovation and collaboration at their heart. Geraldine has developed a vibrant, ambitious vision for the organisation, and I can’t wait to support her and the team to deliver it.”

Louise also brings over ten years of high-level experience to her new role at Compton Verney. A specialist in arts marketing across multiple artforms, she began her career at Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre, before moving on to marketing roles with Scottish Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Coventry City of Culture 2021. Most recently, Scotland-born Louise was the Head of Marketing and Communications at Cheltenham Festivals.

With a passion for stories and creativity in marketing, she has a track record of success in both large and small-scale event marketing, outreach and engagement communications, audience development, plus membership growth and retention.

Outside of work, Louise can be found swimming in the beautiful Compton Verney lake, performing with local am-dram group Stratford Musical Theatre Society or curled up with a good book.

She says: “Having made Warwickshire my home over seven years ago, I’ve long admired the exciting and varied work Compton Verney do and am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of that. I look forward to working with the excellent team on telling the stories of art, nature and creativity and bringing Compton Verney to an even wider audience.”

Guilding and Sinclair both join Compton Verney at an exciting time as the organisation continues to build on its post Covid-19 pandemic recovery, with burgeoning visitor numbers and a succession of critically-acclaimed and hugely popular exhibitions, including Making Mischief, Tudor Mystery: A Master Painter Revealed, Luke Jerram: Crossings and Through the Lens of Masterji.

David and Louise have been appointed to make further positive contributions towards increasing and diversifying Compton Verney’s audiences and its dynamic, often ground-breaking exhibition and events programme, while also developing greater awareness of the Compton Verney brand and various revenue streams.

Geraldine Collinge, Compton Verney Chief Executive Officer (CEO) says: “I am delighted that David and Louise are joining us at Compton Verney. Their expertise, approaches and respective excellent track records will enhance and sustain the work we are doing at Compton Verney to connect people with art, nature and creativity.”

Both David and Louise will take up their new roles on 11 September 2023.