LONDON.- The V&A announced that Sophie Brendel, currently Head of Digital Communications at the BBC, will join the Museum in October 2016 as Director of Marketing and Communications. The role consolidates responsibility for marketing, press, public relations and brand management into a single position on the Museum’s Senior Management Team. Sophie will take on strategic museum-wide leadership of all means of communications, nationally and internationally, covering all V&A audiences and the full array of stakeholders, visitors and consumers.

Sophie joins the V&A at an exciting time, following the Museum’s most successful year ever in terms of audiences and participation, and as recent recipient of the Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Significant developments in the coming years will see the V&A transform its building in South Kensington, with the opening of a new Exhibition Road entrance, gallery and courtyard, and make its unparalleled collections of art and design more accessible through projects in Shenzhen, China, the V&A Museum of Design, Dundee, and V&A East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London.

Tim Reeve, V&A Deputy Director said: “We were incredibly fortunate to be able to choose from such an exceptional field, but Sophie was the stand-out candidate and we are delighted to be welcoming someone of her calibre to the V&A. As always, the V&A has ambitious plans for the years ahead, not least in expanding the Museum’s reach and enhancing its reputation as we expand into new areas of activity and in to new buildings, both in the UK and overseas. Sophie’s breadth of experience, not least at the forefront of digital communications at the BBC, comes at the perfect moment for the V&A.”

Sophie Brendel said: "The V&A is one of the most loved and important cultural institutions in the UK, and I'm delighted to be taking on such an interesting and challenging role as the new Director of Marketing and Communications. It's a hugely exciting time in the Museum's evolution. I'm looking forward to working with a great team to reflect the V&A's creativity and innovation in all our communications and marketing activity, build the V&A's world-class profile and brand and inspire new and existing audiences to visit the V&A's galleries, exhibits and digital platforms as the Museum expands across the UK and around the world."

Sophie has broad expertise across communications and reputation management, marketing, digital engagement and social media, and cutting edge developments in digital and technology. She currently heads up the BBC's Digital Communications and PR team, where she takes the lead on all external PR and communications for the BBC's digital, technology, R&D and innovations activity, as well as the corporate web and digital engagement team.

She was responsible for leading all PR and communications activity including BBC iPlayer and the BBC's range of websites and apps; reinventing the BBC's corporate web and social media presence to engage new audiences; and shaping the story for the BBC's 2015 Make it Digital initiative and the BBC micro:bit- a new, free, tiny computer given to 1 million 11 and 12 year olds in Year 7 across the UK – the BBC's largest education initiative for 30 years.

Prior to joining the BBC, Sophie worked for Thomson Reuters in New York and London, most recently as Global PR Director for News, where she led PR strategy, media handling and issues management for Reuters’ editorial division of 2,500 journalists globally.

Sophie is a regular industry speaker and awards judge for organisations including the Digital Impact Awards and Digital Communication Awards. She graduated with a First Class Honours from Edinburgh University in English Literature and previously worked for theatres in London and New York.