Alistair Hardaker | Image: Ina Sarikhani Weston © Sam Simpson
Founding member of The Sarikhani Collection takes over from interim chair in October 2026
The Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London, have elected Ina Sarikhani Weston as Chair of the Board of Trustees,
The new appointment will take up the position in October 2026 when the current Interim Chair, Professor Shearer West’s term comes to an end.
Sarikhani Weston is the co-founder, director and curator of The Sarikhani Collection of art from Iran, which supports loans, exhibitions, research projects, publications and philanthropy, including several academic posts.
She is also founder member of the International Council of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Visiting Member of its Ancient Near Eastern Council. She is Chair of the Sarre Club, a committee of the Islamic Museum in Berlin, a Trustee at the Royal Academy of Arts, a Fellow of the Ashmolean Museum, and on the Development Board of the Wallace Collection.
Sarikhani Weston is married to Sir Guy Weston, chair of the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Ina has been a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery since 26 January 2026.
Her curatorial projects have included Epic Iran at the V&A in 2021 and Iran: Five Thousand Years of Art at the James Simon Gallery, Berlin, 2021-2; and she is a member of the Curatorial Committee of Positions at Photo London.
Professor Shearer West, interim chair of the Board of Trustees, said it had been a privilege to serve in the role since October 2025, and Sarikhani Weston will bring “experience, understanding and [a] collaborative approach” to the role.
Sarikhani Weston said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been elected as Chair and I am excited to work with my fellow Trustees, Victoria Siddall, and the Gallery’s exceptional team as we build on its recent successes and look towards a very promising future.”
