Alistair Hardaker | Image: (l-r) New Chair of Thackray Museum of Medicine Neil Clephan, OBE, joins outgoing Chair Professor Neil Kaiper-Holmes.
Former Roundhay School head appointed ahead of museum’s 30th anniversary in 2027.
Thackray Museum of Medicine has appointed a new chair. Neil Clephan OBE, former head of Roundhay School, will take up the role from November 2026.
Clephan, who received an OBE for his services to education in 2017, joins the Leeds museum ahead of its 30th anniversary celebrations in 2027. He takes over from Professor Neil Kaiper-Holmes.
Clephan said: “I have a long association with Leeds as a city, especially the local community and working with other local and regional organisations and charities. It was more than 20 years ago that I first visited the Thackray with my family, which made a lasting impression on us as it has for generations of visitors, including my son who is now a nurse.
“I am genuinely excited to have the opportunity to contribute, by using my diverse governance and professional experience with my fellow committed trustees, to support our dynamic CEO Edward Appleyard and his excellent team, as they fulfil our charitable mission ‘to help shape a better tomorrow’, locally and nationally.”
Clephan has been a board member of the University of Leeds, a chair of a charity dedicated to supporting prisoners’ families, and a former trustee of both Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Leeds Heritage Theatres.He is an advisory trustee for Leeds University Union.
Professor Neil Kaiper-Holmes, outgoing chair of Thackray Museum of Medicine said: “To see the museum flourish following its redevelopment, and to see it continue to grow and push the boundaries of what an organisation like this can achieve over the past few years under its CEO Edward Appleyard, has been a true highlight of my decades committed to healthcare and the community.”
