WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
I was educated in Germany and the UK, before embarking on a 17 year career in the museum sector. During this time, I completed my MA in Museum and Gallery Management. I have worked as part of the curatorial team at the British Museum and was involved in realising major projects. Following this I was appointed as Registrar at the Tate Gallery, where I was responsible for managing acquisitions and organising ground-breaking International Programme exhibitions.

WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR DECISION TO MOVE FROM THE PUBLIC TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR?
After working for almost two decades in the museum sector and having had the privilege to work on prestige projects with highly motivated professionals and teams on a national and international level, I felt it was time to move on to new challenges. When my current position at Gander and White was advertised, I went for it, got the job and grabbed the opportunity.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF YOUR MUSEUM BACKGROUND NOT THAT YOU ARE WORKING IN THE ART LOGISTICS INDUSTRY?
Making the leap from the museum sector into the commercial shipping world allowed me to apply my specialised knowledge and skills in order to fulfil our client’s needs. Having worked in museums enables me to bring all sorts of background information to this new position, and allows me to strike a rapport with existing and potential clients. Over the past year I have observed that quite a few people have crossed over from the public to the commercial sector.

WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN USEFUL SINCE BEING AT GANDER AND WHITE?
Going on site with the teams and experiencing firsthand their professionalism, especially in observing the various challenges they face when dealing with different clients has been very useful. A few months ago I went on site with one of our teams. It was certainly an eye opener to realise the differences concerning installing or de-installing an art collection in a private residence compared to the museum environment. As a result, we jointly devised separate site visit specifications and condition reports, which have proved to be very useful.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’VE LEARNED FROM YOUR NEW POSITION THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN IN YOUR PREVIOUS JOB?
Well, yes and no, but speaking on a serious note, structure versus lack of structure. For instance, commercial businesses require more clearly outlined procedures and guidelines in order to make things work smoothly, compared to the often over structured and exceedingly bureaucratic public sector. It is important not to overload your teams with paperwork and too many “procedures”.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR NEW POSITION?
I am excited to help to bring the desired and necessary growth to Gander and White’s Museums & Gallery Division, while at the same time maintaining our high standards of service for the museums sector.