The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Sarah Green and Helen Bonser-Wilton as Members of the VisitEngland Board.
Helen Bonser-Wilton
Helen Bonser-Wilton has been Chief Executive of Leeds Castle Foundation since 2021. The Foundation looks after exceptional built and natural heritage assets, with a highly diversified business that welcomes over 550,000 day visitors & 100 Hospitality Functions annually, as well as thousands of overnight guests to the extensive accommodation portfolio.
Helen is also a Director of Visit Kent and Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
Between 2015-2021, Helen was Chief Executive of the Mary Rose in Portsmouth, King Henry VIII's flagship, raised from the bottom of the Solent with 19,000 Tudor artefacts. Helen oversaw the completion of the award winning, purpose-built Museum for this Tudor treasure and guided the Trust safely through the COVID pandemic.
From 2004-2015, Helen worked in a variety of senior roles at the National Trust, leading Marketing and Commercial in Devon & Cornwall, Programme Director for the £18m Tyntesfield Project in Bristol, National Change Programme Director and Operations Director in the South West.
After qualifying as an Interpreter/Translator in German and Spanish, Helen started her career in advertising, before becoming Group Brand Manager for Akzo Nobel (Crown Paint) and Bernstein Kitchens.
Dr Sarah Green OBE
Dr Sarah Green OBE has been Chief Executive of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) since 2020 and is responsible for leading the organisation, which promotes Newcastle, Gateshead and the wider region as a place to visit and invest.
Sarah's leadership has seen NGI become one of England's first accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and secured a £2.8 million boost from the UK Government to lead England's first Destination Development Partnership Pilot (DDP).
As a member of the government's Visitor Economy Advisory Council and chair of the Visitor Economy Regional Growth Taskforce, Sarah has been a leading voice representing the country's visitor economy. She continuously advocates for greater representation for the visitor economy in national and regional economic strategies and champions the potential of the regional visitor economy to drive investment, skills, jobs and regeneration.
Sarah has worked for over 20 years in economic development and devolution including as CBI Director of Regions and Nations, bringing together industry and government to drive economic growth and innovation. Sarah started her career as a lawyer with Clifford Chance in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Alongside her legal qualifications, Sarah's academic achievements include an MSC in Urban Regeneration, an MBA and most recently, a doctorate from Durham University for her PhD assessing the social impact of small businesses in rural communities.
Sarah is an elected member of the Council of the National Trust, an independent advisory board member at North East Museums and chairs the Ryder Architecture Employee Owned Trust Board.
Helen Bonser-Wilton and Sarah Green have been appointed for terms of five years, commencing on 1 September 2025.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Members of the VisitEngland Board are remunerated £3,300 per annum. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Governance Code on Public Appointments . The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
Helen Bonser-Wilton and Sarah Green have declared no political activity.
Notes
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom.
