New Chair appointed for Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Partnership

July 22, 2025 Published by Alex McCoskrie

Sarah Nichols has been appointed as Chair of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Executive Board.

Sarah has lived in the Kennet valley for 25 years and joins the WHS partnership with a wealth of local knowledge having previously participated in the partnership as a Parish Council Chair. Sarah also has a wide breadth of business skills, with significant experience in strategic planning and relationship building through her 35-year professional career in the defence and aerospace industry. She was responsible for Business Development as a Director and an Executive Board member for 15 years.

Sarah has recently completed her tenure as Independent Chair of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape’s (NWDNL) governing body, the Council of Partners, where she introduced new strategic objectives and a revised governance structure. The NWDNL has now been selected as the pioneer organisation in the UK to be considered for accreditation under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Green List standard for protected areas, seen as the gold standard for managing protected landscapes worldwide.

This Executive Board appointment marks the start of a new governance structure for the WHS partnership, developed as part of a project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Executive Board is the partnership decision-making body for the implementation of the WHS Management Plan. The Board is informed and advised by an Expert & Stakeholder Group of local and national organisations and representatives.