Doug Gurr, the current boss of Amazon’s UK and Ireland operations, has been appointed as the new director of the Natural History Museum.
Gurr will take over from current director Sir Michael Dixon, who has headed the institution for a decade and a half, later this year. Gurr’s previous experience as the development director for Asda allowed him to expand the grocery arm of Amazon’s UK branch. It was rumoured he was one of the candidates for BBC director general earlier this year. He previously sat on the board of trustees for the National Gallery and was on the board of the Science Museum early last decade.
The Natural History Museum is the UK’s fourth most popular attraction, with over 5.3 million visitors last year.
In a public statement, Gurr said: “The Natural History Museum’s vision of a future where people and planet thrive has never been more relevant and it is a privilege to be invited to lead this globally important cultural and scientific institution.”
He continued that he was particularly passionate to respond to the current “planetary emergency” and hoped to use the museum’s collection to “connect millions of people a year with nature”.
Margaret Hodge, tax campaigner and Labour MP, said Gurr’s previous appointment as a non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions was “disgusting” following Amazon’s row over taxes.
Lord Stephen Green defended the appointment, stating that: “Doug’s academic background, considerable experience in working with public service organisations and digital understanding make him ideal to lead our treasured museum in our mission to create advocates for the planet.”
