The Society is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members of staff.
A comprehensive ‘organisational review’ was undertaken in 2012 by the Director and Board of Trustees and has led to a redistribution of responsibilities across the staff team. Under the new arrangements the Society will employ four full‐time staff in London, including the Director, and one in Cairo.
A great deal of work has been undertaken lately in reviewing processes to do with governance, staff and finance management, and ensuring compliance with legislation across the full range of our activities. It has become clear that the management and improvement of existing processes and development of those required to take things forward would require a dedicated ‘Office Manager’ and we are delighted to announce the appointment of Judith Witting to this post. Judith has a wealth of experience having held similar posts at Sadler’s Wells, Camden Arts Centre, the National Theatre and, most recently, as Operations Manager for the House of Illustration. She has also has a passion for Egypt which she has visited several times, and Chris, Jo, Roo and the team of volunteers and tutors in London are very much looking forward to welcoming her into the fold.
Faten Saleh at Saqqara in November 2012
In Egypt, Mrs Faten Saleh, who has been the Society’s Cairo Representative since 2007, will shortly be retiring. Faten has done a wonderful job for the Society, ensuring that the necessary permissions are secured for our field teams in a timely manner, and that all other aspects of the logistics of running field projects in Egypt are managed efficiently, and maintaining and developing our programme of lectures and other activities for members in Cairo. Faten has also been our ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground in Egypt providing us with invaluable advice about the current situation in Egypt and maintaining our network of contacts. Faten has had to undertake her work for the Society throughout the unsettled times following the revolution of January 2011 and it is no small part due to her efforts that our fieldwork and research has continued almost entirely unaffected throughout this time.
Essam Nagy (at right), the Society's newly appointed Fieldwork and Engagement Manager with the Chair of Trustees, Dr Aidan Dodson, in Luxor, May 2013
We have taken the opportunity presented by the organisational review to revise the job description for our representative in Cairo with a view to expanding our activities in Egypt, raising the Society’s profile and ensuring that the resources we have are put to best use in terms of what our audience wants and what is most useful to our colleagues in the Ministry of Antiquities and elsewhere. A new post of ‘Fieldwork and Engagement Manager’ has been created as a result, and following interviews in early May Essam Nagy was appointed. Essam has, for the last few years, been working as an inspector in the Ministry of Antiquities at Karnak, and we are looking forward to making good use of his contact within the Ministry and archaeological community generally.
Both Judith and Essam will be joining the team in mid-June; we are very much looking forward to welcoming them to the Society and to introducing them to members in the coming weeks and months.