Clare O'Brien will take up a new position as CEO of The Mall Galleries

The Director of the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, Clare O'Brien, is to leave to take up a new opportunity. She will take up the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Mall Galleries and the Federation of British Artists.

Clare was appointed to the Chiswick job four years ago having spent several busy years as Director of Marketing and Development at the Wallace Collection.

The Trust, a registered charity, was created jointly by English Heritage and the London Borough of Hounslow in order to integrate the management of Chiswick House and Gardens. The main role of the Trust centres around the protection and enhancement of the Grade I listed villa and registered Grade I gardens, which have been a public park since 1929.

Clare had a long personal connection with the area despite spending her early childhood in the north of England. Her father, the late Sir Richard O'Brien (a distinguished WW2 veteran who was an influential figure in the worlds of industry, government and the Church of England), was a former chairman of the Chiswick House Friends, the charitable trust that was established in 1984 to support the restoration, preservation and enhancement of Chiswick House and grounds.

Clare attended school in Ealing for three years and the family lived in Kensington. Chiswick House was a popular meeting place for weekend walks with family friends.

Chiswick House welcomes 13,000 visitors a year, half of whom are English Heritage members.

Chiswick House is the first and one of the finest examples of neo-Palladian design in England. Created by the third Earl of Burlington, who was inspired on his grand tour by the architecture of ancient Rome and 16th century Italy, it is a homage to the work of Renaissance architect Palladio though it was not originally intended to be a private residence.

Picture: John Fielding

Clare's career has followed a swift trajectory in the the arts and charity corporate sectors ever since she took up her first job at the box office of the Wyndhams Theatre after graduating from Leeds University with a History degree. She has spent time at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Shakespeare Globe Trust.

November 10, 2018