Ann Sumner has resigned as director of Birmingham Museums Trust only eight months after taking up the post, and less than a year after the trust was founded.
She will become executive director of the Bronte Society in Keighley from February.
“Ann Sumner has made a decision for personal and family reasons to relocate to Yorkshire to another role and to be nearer her family,” said Birmingham Museums Trust chairman Len Clark. Simon Cane, currently head of operations, will take over as interim director this month.
Last April, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery merged with Thinktank science museum and several historic buildings, including Aston Hall and Weoley Castle, to form a new trust.
The move will save Birmingham City Council an estimated £2.4m by 2014-15 across its nine museum and heritage sites. As an Arts Council England major partner museum, the trust has been awarded more than £5m over a three-year period.
The post of director of Birmingham Museums Trust was advertised in November 2011 with a salary of £75,000-£90,000. The trust employs 266 staff and has a budgeted turnover figure for 2012-13 of £11m.
A spokeswoman said: “The decision on the salary for the post of [next] director of the trust will be taken by the board of trustees.”
In comparison, Ellen McAdam, head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life, the trust that runs museums and sports centres for the city council, receives £65,612. There were 391 museum staff in January 2011.
Meanwhile, the University of Cambridge has named Tim Knox as director of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Knox, who has been director of the Sir John Soane’s Museum in London since 2005, takes over from Timothy Potts in April.
Knox said he planned to develop meaningful links with the university and its other museums and also make some new acquisitions and build on the exhibitions programme.
The Towner in Eastbourne also announced that artistic director, Matthew Rowe, will take up the position of director at Firstsite, in Colchester, this month.
She will become executive director of the Bronte Society in Keighley from February.
“Ann Sumner has made a decision for personal and family reasons to relocate to Yorkshire to another role and to be nearer her family,” said Birmingham Museums Trust chairman Len Clark. Simon Cane, currently head of operations, will take over as interim director this month.
Last April, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery merged with Thinktank science museum and several historic buildings, including Aston Hall and Weoley Castle, to form a new trust.
The move will save Birmingham City Council an estimated £2.4m by 2014-15 across its nine museum and heritage sites. As an Arts Council England major partner museum, the trust has been awarded more than £5m over a three-year period.
The post of director of Birmingham Museums Trust was advertised in November 2011 with a salary of £75,000-£90,000. The trust employs 266 staff and has a budgeted turnover figure for 2012-13 of £11m.
A spokeswoman said: “The decision on the salary for the post of [next] director of the trust will be taken by the board of trustees.”
In comparison, Ellen McAdam, head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life, the trust that runs museums and sports centres for the city council, receives £65,612. There were 391 museum staff in January 2011.
Meanwhile, the University of Cambridge has named Tim Knox as director of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Knox, who has been director of the Sir John Soane’s Museum in London since 2005, takes over from Timothy Potts in April.
Knox said he planned to develop meaningful links with the university and its other museums and also make some new acquisitions and build on the exhibitions programme.
The Towner in Eastbourne also announced that artistic director, Matthew Rowe, will take up the position of director at Firstsite, in Colchester, this month.