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Bernard Donghue, ALVA CEO, appointed OBE in Queen's Birthday Honours

02 June 2022: Bernard has been Director of ALVA since 2011 and in that time has doubled the membership of the organisation so that it now represents the UK’s most important and significant museums, galleries, heritage sites, stately homes, cathedrals, gardens, parks, zoos, cultural and performance venues and leisure attractions. He represents the sector on the UK Government’s Tourism Industry Council and in 2021 he won the Museum and Heritage COVID Special Recognition Award for his leadership of, and support to the sector during the COVID pandemic.

Bernard is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Bristol Old Vic theatre, the oldest continually working theatre in the English-speaking world; Chair of the Board of the People’s History Museum – the Museum of Democracy; and is Chair of the National Trust’s Regional Advisory Board for London and the South East. He was Chair of LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre, for 11 years until 2021.

In 2017 the Mayor of London appointed Bernard to be a member of the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board and his Ambassador for Cultural Tourism. He is Co-Chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board, tasked with the sustainable recovery of London’s visitor economy.

“This is a great honour and a great surprise. Tourism and culture have had the most turbulent, challenging few years and the public have been reminded of how important they are to our lives, so it’s an enormous privilege to be able to contribute

to their recovery, growth and dynamism. I’m very grateful – and touched – to have been nominated and believe that this honour also reflects and recognises those with thom with who I work in ALVA and across the cultural sector,” commented Bernard Donoghue.

Baroness Wheatcroft, Chairman, ALVA, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Bernard's phenomenal contribution to the tourism and culture sectors is being recognised with the award of an OBE. In his time at ALVA, he has been a powerful force of energy and enthusiasm on behalf of the organisation and its members but his impact on the entire sector has been huge. This was even more pronounced during the Covid pandemic when his daily bulletins were a source of elucidation and support for organisations that were desperately hard hit. Bernard's tireless efforts on behalf of a vital part of the UK economy are certainly worthy of this award.”