Simon Warburton Email & Phone Number

Having spent the early part of my career working in economic development and regeneration, it came as a welcome surprise to move into the tourism sector first with Chester Cathedral and more recently with Lichfield Cathedral. My economic development experience led to working at a regional level where I developed my skills in public finance and administration, in particular within land and property. I was responsible for a large and diverse portfolio of projects from across the region that required a number of different grant mechanisms ensuring compliance with strict public investment criteria. I also gained a Masters in Town Planning from the University of Manchester. I left in 2011 to take up a role of Development Manager at Chester Cathedral. Initially employed to develop their fundraising programme, I was quickly promoted to Director of Operations and Enterprise, whereby I looked after the day to day running of the Cathedral and its estate, as well as the commercial operation as a key regional visitor attraction. I led on some key projects including removal of the admission charge, development of a falconry centre and an award winning tower project. By the time I left visitor numbers had drastically increased (60,000 - 330,000) and we won the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year award. When Lichfield came to ask whether I would join them, I felt Chester was ready for new leadership and I wanted to explore whether I could take on a new challenge and have a similar level of success but with additional responsibility as the Executive Director. I hope this has very much been the case, with visitor numbers increasing, the estate is flourishing with increased income from refurbished property and we have put together a compelling capital programme in support of our Strategic Vision. We have won a number prestigious awards, including the QAVS, and it is a continued privilege to work within the sector.

Listed skills include Developed High Risk And Complex Projects, Psychology, Urban Planning, Sociology, and 2 others.