Nick Poole is the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), the UK based professional community of more than 13,000 information professionals. As CEO, Nick’s responsibilities include:

• Liaising with the Board of Trustees to set long-term strategy
• Supporting a team of 46 staff operating throughout the UK
• Developing business partnerships and opportunities
• Supporting business development and member engagement
• Promoting a positive working culture through structured CPD

Prior to joining CILIP, Nick was CEO of the Collections Trust, the UK and international not-for-profit organisation that works with museums, libraries and archives to unlock the potential of their Collections for the public. In this role, he was responsible for liaising with a Board of Trustees to set the strategic direction of the organisation as well as for fundraising, day-to-day management, staff development, partner and stakeholder relations and governance.

Nick’s work with the Collections Trust involved a number of key developments, including:

• The conception and delivery of the Culture Grid, the UK aggregator for digital content from museums and libraries
• Collections Link – the leading professional development platform for Collections Management
• The delivery of a comprehensive new strategy for the organisation including significant increases in revenue
• The management of a successful social enterprise function with retail and commercial partnerships
• The delivery of a 4th generation of SPECTRUM, the UK and International Collections Management standard
• The creation of a new joint standard with the BSI defining best practice in Collections Management
• Securing new European-funded projects worth in excess of EUR10m

Widely recognised in the international cultural heritage field, Nick is involved in the governance and development of a number of sector organisations including:

• Former Chair of the UK Committee of the International Council of Museums
• Former Chair of the Europeana Network of broadcasters, publishers and cultural institutions
• Former Trustee & Treasurer of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
• Former Trustee of the Golden Hinde
• Former Councillor of the Museums Association

In his capacity as the DCMS-nominated representative on the Member States Expert Group, Nick represents the UK’s interests in the fields of culture and technology at the European Commission. Nick is strongly committed to international collaboration, and has visited more than 60 countries in the past 3 years to establish new partnership initiatives.

A popular conference speaker, Nick has been invited to give more than 100 lectures and presentations in the past 24 months including a number of keynote addresses to conferences in Europe and the US. He enjoys a well-established social media profile and has acted as a spokesperson in print and broadcast media.

Prior to taking up his role at the Collections Trust, Nick was a Policy Adviser to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (now transferred to the Arts Council England). His areas of specialism included policy development for new technology in museums and libraries and policy initiatives in support of the Government’s Regionalisation agenda. In his capacity as National ICT Policy Adviser, he developed and supported a range of initiatives including the successful Veterans Reunited and the rollout of the Peoples Network in Public Libraries.

Before this, Nick worked in a variety of roles in PR and Communications and in the corporate finance sector (with a specific emphasis on mergers and risk). Nick is also a Director of two successful startup companies.

Nick attended Westminster School, and studied for degrees in Languages and Historical Linguistics at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and an MA in the History and Philosophy of Science at Birkbeck College, London.

A keen kayaker, Nick lives in Kingston with his wife and two children.