Elizabeth McKay appointed to lead London Transport Museum

Elizabeth McKay has been announced as London Transport Museum’s newly appointed Director and CEO. McKay takes up the role after five years as the Museum’s Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director. 

Upon joining London Transport Museum in 2018, Elizabeth led a programme of strategic renewal to articulate the organisation’s charitable purpose. She has since overseen its long-term approach to capital investment, gallery planning and design, and played a central role in developing its journey to reach net zero by 2030. She has also steered the Museum’s strategic focus on creating an inclusive culture to engage diverse audiences.  

Elizabeth has championed investment in STEAM engagement with young Londoners, supporting them to pursue creative careers and jobs in transport, engineering and green skills. She continues to spearhead on-going efforts to engage London’s many communities with the Museum’s collection and the histories it represents, starting with the opening of the Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce exhibition in 2022.  

When the country entered the first national lockdown in March 2020, Elizabeth played a critical role in guiding London Transport Museum through the unprecedented impact of the pandemic to emerge in its current position of creative, operational, commercial and financial strength having welcomed back 100% of its pre-pandemic visitor numbers in 22/23. 

Over the last 12 months, she has been instrumental to the development of the Museum’s new five-year strategy. This ambitious plan will engage audiences with a rich programme of exhibitions and events exploring London’s fascinating history and introduce exciting new future-focused content and experiences to expand its offer and reach.  

McKay, who will take up her new role in August, said: 

I am excited at the opportunity to lead London Transport Museum as its next Director and CEO at such a major moment in its history.

Our new five-year strategy is underpinned by a vision of inclusion and relevance. It will begin our next chapter as we use our extraordinary collection as a springboard to ignite people’s curiosity and get them excited about shaping the future of our city.

I’m keen to dial up our storytelling to engage audiences with fresh, relevant content, and I am committed to delivering outstanding outcomes for young people in the areas that really matter to them: their safety, their future careers and their enthusiasm to create a greener, more sustainable world.

I plan to increase our reach to new audiences who reflect the multicultural breadth and diversity of London, and to expand to new audiences outside the UK.

Prior to joining London Transport Museum, Elizabeth was Chief Learning and Engagement Officer at Historic Royal Palaces, where she delivered a new strategy and change programme that doubled audience reach onsite, offsite and online. She was an award-winning Executive Producer and Head of Knowledge Campaigns at BBC Learning and worked with global brands at Grey Advertising in London and New York. 

Elizabeth’s contribution to the cultural sector has been recognised with awards from Museum + Heritage, Learning Technologies, Webby People’s Voice, Royal Television Society, Peabody, and Children’s BAFTA. She is also currently the Deputy Chair of the leading cultural sector charity Kids in Museums and a member of the ENO Insights Council. 

Keith Ludeman, Chair of London Transport Museum said:

‘I am delighted that the Board of Trustees has selected Elizabeth to be the next Director and CEO of our Museum. She has successfully led the strategic development of London Transport Museum over the past 5 years and helped us navigate through the serious challenges presented by the pandemic. I know that her creativity, vitality and boundless energy will enable her to deliver our ambitious plans for the future. My fellow trustees and I look forward to welcoming Elizabeth into her new role and are excited to be working alongside her as we take this wonderful Museum into a bright future.’ 

Sam Mullins OBE, Outgoing Director and CEO of London Transport Museum, said:

‘I am delighted with the appointment of Elizabeth McKay to succeed me as director. Elizabeth has been a strong influence on our industry-leading recovery from the pandemic, has been a tenacious and creative deputy director and has led the shaping of our strategy and integrated plans for the future. It has been my privilege to work for London Transport Museum and my pride and joy for the past 28 years. I know it will continue to flourish and develop under Elizabeth’s leadership, supported by an outstanding team.’ 

Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said:

We’re delighted to see Elizabeth appointed to lead London Transport Museum. Her vision, leadership and belief in the role museums play in creating social change will shape the organisation’s future growth and the important part it plays in the life of the city. She is passionate about engaging London’s communities, inviting them to not only learn about the city’s rich history and heritage, but to be inspired to shape a welcoming, greener and connected future for the capital. We look forward to working together as she takes the reins as Director and CEO.’