INTERVIEW


the culture and history of the place he now calls home and, having accepted the role, what was his specific remit? “I needed to understand Derby, where it came from,


what its heritage is, what the key organisations are and all the various communities involved because I knew that if I was going to make a significant impact I needed to be engaging with all those stakeholders,” explains Mo. “Effectively, mine is a CFO role. I have responsibilities in


finance, HR, IT and also for the properties. The three museums are all owned by Derby City Council but we are responsible for their upkeep and maintenance. “One of the key elements of my positon is enhancing the


commercial side, such as venue hire, retail and sponsorship; it’s a wide role.” Mo’s contribution to Derby Museums was acknowledged


recently as he was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Chamber’s 2017 Business Awards in Derbyshire, a moment he is particularly proud of. “It was an unbelievable moment, I wasn’t even


contemplating winning it,” he recalls. “Just to be nominated against the talented people also


there on the list was, for me, an achievement in itself. My dad was so proud when I was nominated. He’s been the foundation through my life. He literally contacted every single person on his phone and within an hour I was getting texts from people I had never heard of congratulating me so to then win it on the night, I was shocked and honoured. It’s worth pointing out too that the award simply wouldn’t have been possible without my dedicated and talented team.” So what are the core principles of Derby Museums and


how, as a fairly niche organisation on the face of it, does it position itself against a climate of ever-increasing city centre competition? “We have some real core values that speak to a range of


different people,” suggests Mo. “We have the Museum and Art Gallery and this has the


‘I needed to understand Derby, where it came from, what its heritage is, what the key organisations are and all the various communities involved’


largest collection of Joseph Wright paintings in the world. We see the museum as being both prestigious and significant as it’s the place where we have a world- significant collection. “We also have the Silk Mill, which is unique in that it is


the site of the world’s first factory and is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The Silk Mill is all about celebrating the city of Derby and celebrating its heritage. Then we have Pickford’s House, which is all about homes and named after famed architect Joseph Pickford, who built it as his family home in 1770. So we are covering all bases – we have world, city and home. Mo believes that that variety of offerings within the


Derby Museum framework is crucial in appealing to the hearts and minds of all types of demographics and people, with everybody thought about and catered for. “It’s about heads, hearts and hands. The museum must


have something which is intellectually challenging (head), something that is inspirational (heart) and things for people to actively do and feel so it isn’t just something you are looking at (hands). “It’s also about your place. It is what you want it to be. It


can be a place where you get inspiration but it can also be a place where you get away from the hustle and bustle of life and to contemplate.” As well as being consumer/customer-facing, Derby Museums is very much in touch with the business community in an era where commercial viability has never been so important to a sector that has, in the past, been more dependent on funding and grants. To that end, it is imperative that Derby Museums competes and is part of the wider conversation of the city. “We engage extensively with the business community


and have to in order to survive and be successful,” explains Mo.


“In light of pressures from public sector funding, we have


had to be very proactive in generating our own regular commercial income. For example, venue hire is a really important source of funds for us and we are able to use the nostalgia and heritage of Derby to come up with a product and solution that not only meets our


business network November 2017 33


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