Tilly Blyth is to leave her position as director of the Weald & Downland Living Museum in Chichester, Sussex, to join the Imperial War Museum (IWM) as executive director of collections and curatorial.
In a linkedIn post, Blyth said: “It’s a tremendous honour (and frankly, a museum nerd’s dream) to help shape the way we interpret war and conflict through the collection of 33 million items — especially at a time when those themes feel ever more present.”
She’ll take up the new position in September, leading the narrative and content, exhibitions, collections management, collections operations and research teams across IWM’s five sites.
Blyth has been at Weald & Downland since October 2024. She said: “It’s been an absolute joy to work alongside such passionate and kind staff, trustees and volunteers, helping to renew the museum’s sense of purpose through new vision, mission, and values, and setting a strong five-year strategic plan in motion.”
Blyth started her museum career at the Science Museum and worked there for 20 years in numerous roles including head of collections and principle curator.
She left in 2022 to join Leicester University, where she spent two years as a professor and head of the School of Museum Studies.
An interim director will be appointed at Weald & Downland shortly, and the search for the permanent post will be launched via Saxton Bampfylde.
