Paul Kirkman
Paul Kirkman is a cultural consultant and former national museum director with deep expertise in the planning, management, and transformation of museum institutions.
With 20 years' experience across the cultural and built environment sectors, he helps organisations develop strategies that protect and activate heritage assets, often within complex public-sector contexts.
Before joining BOP, Paul was Director of the National Railway Museum in York (2012–2017), one of the UK's leading national museums, where he led a major organisational transformation and established a £700m partnership with the City Council to regenerate the museum’s surrounding heritage site.
Earlier in his career, Paul held senior roles at the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where he was responsible for policy and funding for the national museums and the Arts Council, as well as leading work on public spending and institutional reform.
He was also Head of Policy and Planning at the Natural History Museum, where he contributed to the launch of the Darwin Centre, a landmark project in scientific and cultural infrastructure.
Paul now advises cultural institutions and government clients in the Gulf, including the Saudi Ministry of Culture, on strategy, governance, and institutional models for sustainable cultural development.
