Jennifer Francis appointed Director of External Affairs at Museum of London

The Museum of London has today announced the appointment of Jennifer Francis as its new Director of External Affairs.

A pivotal member of the Executive Team, the new role will see Jennifer head up the External Affairs Directorate including the museum’s Communications, Digital Innovation and Development teams. She will work closely with Museum of London Director Sharon Ament to build income and partnerships, as well as driving brand awareness, public support and audience engagement.

An internationally-recognised, entrepreneurial leader in the culture and heritage sector, Jennifer’s appointment follows a role at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA, where she served as Director of Brand and Marketing from 2020 to 2023. Before this, Jennifer held executive and senior leadership roles at a range of organisations including Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA and the Royal Academy of Arts, UK where she was Head of Press and Marketing for eight years. She is a trustee of Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and Chair of the Marketing and Sales Committee, as well as an Advisory Board Member at Attenborough Arts Centre.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for the museum as it moves to a new home in Smithfield. Its London Wall site closed as a visitor attraction in December 2022 after 45 years, allowing it to undertake the careful process of decanting 10,000 items from its London Wall galleries and re-organising its seven million strong collection. It will welcome its first visitors to a festival curated by Londoners at Smithfield in 2025, before opening to the public under its new name- The London Museum- in 2026.

At this time of transformation, the Museum of London Docklands takes centre stage as the museum’s main site, with a year-long programme of events to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2023 and a major exhibition Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style planned for autumn. Under the leadership of Managing Director Douglas Gilmore, Jennifer’s team will support a new strategy to see it become one of the most evocative museums in London’s cultural landscape whilst delivering on the organisation’s overarching goal to reach more people, become better known and engage every young person in the city.

Jennifer Francis, Director of External Affairs, Museum of London said: “As a proud Londoner, I’m honoured to take up this role at the Museum of London and look forward to playing a leading part in delivering its game-changing vision to become one of the most well-known cultural destinations in the UK and worldwide.”

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said: “I am more than delighted that Jennifer is joining the Museum’s Executive Team in this incredibly important role. In the run up to opening a world-class city museum in the heart of London’s historic centre, her energy, experience, creativity and flair will be a huge asset. Watch this space London!”