Alistair hardaker | Image: Thomson
OneRen appoints Katrina Thomson as head of museums with storytelling focus. National Trust curator joins £68.7m transformation project.
OneRen has appointed its first head of museums and chief storyteller as the £68.7m Paisley Museum Transformation project enters its final stages.
Katrina Thomson will join OneRen, the leisure and cultural charity responsible for Renfrewshire’s museums and collections, on 20 April 2026. The role will oversee storytelling across Paisley Museum, The Secret Collection in Paisley, and Renfrew Museum.
Thomson joins from the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where she held senior management roles in curation and visitor experience. Her 30 years of experience includes leadership positions with the National Trust for Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland, and she has led projects at sites including Culloden Battlefield, Kingston Lacy and the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site.
“It was the title of chief storyteller which really struck me. I’ve never seen that job title before. It really caught my imagination” Thomson said.
Thomson said the project had established storytelling as central to the development. ““Yet these are only our opening chapters. Visitors will create their own stories – and the spaces being created will encourage them to do so,” she said.
Work is underway on the exhibition fit-out at Paisley Museum. The redevelopment by Renfrewshire Council and OneRen will double the number of objects on display and increase gallery space. The four buildings include the Grade A listed main building and Coats Observatory, the oldest public observatory in Scotland.
A new outdoor garden and public space has been created, along with dedicated learning spaces, a heritage archive centre, cafe and shop. The project has been funded by Renfrewshire Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish Government, and donors and benefactors.
Kirsty Devine, project director of Paisley Museum Re-Imagined, said: “The Paisley Museum Re-Imagined Project has its origins as a co-produced storytelling museum and I am delighted that we have been able to create this role that reflects the importance we place on the power and impact of story and that recognises its strategic importance for OneRen as well.”
Thomson’s role will include community engagement work. ““Working with communities both locally and globally, there are endless stories that we can explore together, encouraging pride in Paisley and Renfrewshire, celebrating the region and encouraging people to visit as a gateway to the west of Scotland,” she said.
