Mr Michael Day CVO

Michael Day was CEO of Historic Royal Palaces from 2003 to 2017. Previously he was Director of the Jersey Heritage Trust from 1987, where his projects twice won the UK Museum of the Year Award. He started his career as a curator with the Norfolk Museums Service in 1974 before moving in 1983 to the Ironbridge Gorge Museum.
At Historic Royal Palaces, he led a sustained programme of organisational transformation, including major projects at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle. He had overall responsibility for HRP’s part in the epic Tower Poppies installation in 2014.
He is currently a trustee of the National Trust and chair of The Royal Tennis Court. He was formerly chair of Battersea Arts Centre, a trustee of the Alnwick Garden Trust and board member of the UK’s Cultural Leadership Programme.
He has taught on leadership programmes and lectured at universities and conferences around the world on cultural leadership and historic site interpretation. This has included, since his retirement, a visiting professorship at the University of Illinois and teaching assignments for IMD in Lausanne and Brunel and Queen Mary Universities.
Michael is a Fellow of the Museums Association and the Royal Society of Arts, and a Companion of the Institute of Management. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Kingston University in 2010 for his work in the heritage and museums sector and was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by HM The Queen in the 2015 New Year Honours.