Kathryn Thomson has been Director & Chief Executive of National Museums NI since March 2016. 

Prior to that she was Chief Operating Officer at Tourism NI for 11 years.

Before that Kathryn worked in the senior finance team within NHS Greater Glasgow, primarily involved in business and financial planning.

Kathryn holds a BCom (Hons) degree in Business Studies from the University of Edinburgh, completed her accountancy training at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and has a professional qualification as a Chartered Accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). She is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors.  In addition, Kathryn holds a public appointment as a Director of the Strategic Investment Board.  She is the Chair of the Strand Arts Centre and is on the Board of Tourism Ireland, as well as being a Director and Trustee of the Grand Opera House and Culture Perth & Kinross.