Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, and Nigel Webb, Head of Developments at British Land and Trustee at the V&A, reflect on the value of being a trustee.

Nigel: I’ve always admired the V&A, so when I heard about a trustee opportunity opening up, I applied for the role. Like all trustees, I went through a selection process. Mine involved an interview at Whitehall with the Chair of the V&A and representatives from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. The then Prime Minister, Theresa May, confirmed my appointment for a four-year term in December 2016, and last year I was lucky enough to be awarded a second term, confirmed by Boris Johnson.

Tristram: As with all our trustees, we were looking both for a particular skillset from Nigel and a more general trustee role. Nigel brings an incredible depth of knowledge from his long and impressive career in development. The V&A is involved in numerous development projects at the moment, notably in east London. Having someone of Nigel’s calibre to steer our development  subcommittees and advise us in the field is of enormous value.

A huge learning curve

Nigel: My five years as a trustee have been a huge learning curve. It’s wonderful to be learning the whole time about the creative sectors that the V&A specialise in – art, design and fashion. Before Board meetings, one of the curators will talk to us about an object which the V&A has recently acquired, its history and where it fits into the collection. You get fascinating insights.

Secondly, you meet a very interesting group of people, both on the Executive Board and the trustees. Suddenly you’re in a room with people from diverse sectors – from academia and the art world to business, finance, online retail and marketing. At a property company, I wouldn’t always get that breadth. I both value that and learn from it.

Profound levels of value

Tristram: Nigel has added profound levels of value. We are currently delivering V&A East, our largest and most important building project in many years. This involves two major capital projects – a new storehouse facility and a new museum on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Nigel’s detailed contribution every step of the way has been enormously helpful.

Nigel has a natural appreciation of the dynamics of development and how developers, contractors, fit out and different components interact. When we hit tough times with Covid, he helped us navigate that tricky terrain, working closely with our Deputy Director, Tim Reeve, who is leading the project. Nigel’s commercial insights also assisted us with lease negotiations, helping us secure a good result for the public purse on a complex deal.

Enormously rewarding

Nigel: I think sometimes we don’t realise the value of our own skills. We take for granted what we know because others we work with know it too. Then, when you become a trustee for an organisation like the V&A, you meet people with different skills, that you value, and see how they value yours. You realise you have expertise and commercial skills that are valuable to the third sector. It is enormously rewarding to contribute towards that. I’d encourage everyone to volunteer and use their skillset in a different space.

Being a trustee is also a great way of learning how another organisation operates. I’ve been at British Land for 30 years now, so my experience within other organisations is long in the past. At the V&A, I’ve garnered new networks, meeting artists, publishers, venture capitalists, donors and curators. It’s always nice to connect with a different circle.

Tristram: We have a good practice in this country of institutions like museums, galleries and sports being independent of government. To retain that, we need public-spirited people to continue coming forward. The V&A belongs to the British people. So it’s absolutely right that our trustees come from all walks of life and hold our Executive Board to account. They are there on behalf of the British people.

Investment in culture and creativity

Tristram: Looking forward, I’m enormously excited about our expansion east: Young V&A opens in Summer 2023, V&A East storehouse the following year in 2024 and V&A East museum the year after in 2025. This is a massive investment in culture and creativity in east London. Like any museum director, I’m also very excited about our upcoming exhibitions – Donatello, Chanel and Diva – rebuilding from the Covid shocks of the last two years.

Nigel: What I hear from trustees reaching the end of their term, who have to step down, is that they do so with a degree of regret. People really, really enjoy their tenure. From being involved at the start of V&A’s move east, my tenure will just continue through to the new museum opening. The V&A has a hugely exciting future and I’m fortunate to be involved.