The Board of Otago Museum has announced the appointment of Dr Ian Griffin as its next Director.
Dr Griffin is currently the Chief Executive of the Oxford Trust in Oxford, England and has previously held roles as:
- Director, Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester, England,
- Head of Public Outreach and Director, NASA Origins Education Forum, Maryland, USA
- CEO Auckland Observatory, New Zealand
- Director, Astronaut Memorial Science Centre, Cocoa, Florida, USA and
- Director, Armagh Planetarium, Armagh, Northern Ireland
Dr Griffin is currently the chair of the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres representing the interests of the 60 centres in the UK.
Ian Griffin said “I am honoured and excited to have been selected as the next Director of the Otago Museum. With its amazing, diverse and unique collections the Otago Museum can play a key role in stimulating interest in our past and help inspire our visitors to address the challenges we face in the future. I passionately believe that Museums can change lives, and I can’t wait to join the Otago team later this year”.
Graham Crombie, Chair, said “The Board have been focused on selecting a new Director who has demonstrated leadership ability, is highly regarded in the profession, has commercial acumen and brings proven experience in developing positive cultures in institutions. In Dr Griffin we are fortunate to have an individual with a proven record in these areas. Ian’s academic and scientific background also adds significant value and we look forward to further developing the Museum’s contribution in these areas”.
Dr Griffin will take up the role fulltime towards the end of May.