Alistair Hardaker
Image: Baroness Jan Royall (Somerville College - John Cairns)
Baroness Jan Royall, also former Leader oft the House of Lords, will lead the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Baroness Jan Royall, former Labour Cabinet Minister, former Leader of the House of Lords has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of ALVA, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Currently Principal of Somerville College, University of Oxford, Royall will step down from the role to begin her ALVA role in September.
She was formerly chair of the People’s History Museum, pro chancellor of the University of Bath and vice president of the Party of European Socialists.
She succeeds co-chairs Simon Addison, COO of the Roman Baths and Pump Room,, and Lorraine Rossdale MVO, head of ceremonial, events and marketing at Westminster Abbey.
The co-chairs served between May 2024 and September 2025.
ALVA has nearly 100 members, and champions the work of visitor attractions to government, business and the media and shares insights and best practice amongst its members.
Baroness Royall said: “I look forward to being an advocate, to build on its enormous success and to help members navigate the challenges ahead.”
Bernard Donoghue OBE, CEO and Director of ALVA, said the new appointment “has a proven passion for, and commitment to our sector having been the Chair of the award-winning People’s History Museum, and the University of Oxford’s museums, galleries and botanics are active members of ALVA.
“I am enormously looking forward to working with Baroness Royall, not least in our advocacy work, and I pay huge thanks to Simon and Lorraine for their very successful co-chairmanship of ALVA over the last year.”
