National Railway Museum appoints new partnerships manager

Paddy McNulty has undertaken the role of railway partnerships manager at The National Railway Museum in York.

In his role, which has been newly created, he will work with railway partners and the heritage railway sector – developing and strengthening relationships whilst acting as the day-to-day contact for existing borrowers and for new loan enquiries.

Paddy will work across the museum’s professional teams, including curatorial, registration, conservation, engineering, and rail operations, to ensure a coordinated approach.

Paddy has worked in the cultural heritage sector for more than 20 years. In 2014, he established his own cultural heritage consultancy and has extensive experience in partnership development. He was the national museum lead for the Arts Council England-funded Museum-University Partnership Initiative and provided strategic, operational, and business consultancy services to a wide range of museum and heritage organisations, including – Kirkaldy Testing Museum, Coombe Mill, The British Museum and Bath Preservation Trust.

A regular visitor to the National Railway Museum from a young age, Paddy has a keen interest in railway heritage and has family connections to the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust, where his late step-father was a founding member.

Paddy will bring this experience to bear developing constructive relationships with current and potential borrowers and will give advice to borrowers as well as assess new loan requests.

Paddy said: “I am delighted to join the Science Museum Group in the run up to Vision 2025, which promises to bring transformational changes to the National Railway Museum and Locomotion. This new role has been created to improve communication with our borrowers, and I aim to nurture these important relationships and to celebrate the National Collection. Covid-willing, I plan to be as proactive as possible, and I want to get out to meet as many partners and borrowers and to visit as many heritage railways as possible.”

The Science Museum Group cares for an internationally significant national collection of 275 railway locomotives, carriages and wagons, many of which are on loan to borrowers across the UK.

Photo credit: National Railway Museum

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