Celia joined the National Trust in 2018 and is responsible for all external affairs including earned, owned and paid media and National Trust channels, brand and marketing, marketing, policy and advocacy, and publishing, including books and the National Trust Magazine, which has Europe’s biggest circulation. More recently she has taken on the challenge of securing a more diverse funding base for the Trust through leading its fundraising division.

In her time at the Trust she’s introduced broad public programming, overseen campaigns that have driven public involvement in the National Trust’s work, managed the charity’s reputation and led its response to misinformation and attacks. She’s written and spoken extensively about transparency and public engagement in institutions, and what it takes to grow a heritage brand. The Trust is now second only to the NHS among the UK’s most trusted institutions, and has fast-growing membership among young people.

Celia has spent three decades in not-for-profit organisations in sectors including mental health, social enterprise and social investment, housing, asylum and urban regeneration. Before joining the National Trust she was at Historic England. Celia is regularly named by PR Week among the 1% of most influential people in the UK PR industry.