Hello there, I’m Giles and I joined the Executive Management Team last month as the Chief Strategy Officer based in the Salisbury office. In this newly created role, my broad remit is to lead on the implementation of the Company’s development strategies. This includes the development of our internal capabilities and the forging of external partnerships to diversify income streams, and to magnify our public benefit impact. My responsibilities include Community and Education, Marketing and Communications, plus the Human Resources, Quality and Compliance Directorates.

This is a welcome return to the archaeological fold after an absence of more than 20 years. Since graduating from Nottingham University in 1991 and working for Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust for a few years, I have enjoyed a long career in the Armed Forces and for the last five years worked for Help for Heroes at Tedworth House Recovery Centre. Volunteering on digs, supporting Operation Nightingale and working with Winchester University to provide fee-waived undergraduate archaeology scholarships for injured veterans sustained my passion for archaeology and heritage.

I’ve spent the first month familiarising myself with the organisation but have more learning to do and hope to visit the other offices and projects over the coming months to engage with the staff. It’s an exciting role and a big thank you to everyone for being so welcoming and eager to help me settle.