National Trust Director of Communications and Fundraising, Celia Richardson, awarded OBE
- Published:
- 13 June 2026
- Last updated:
- 13 June 2026
Celia Richardson, Director of Communications and Fundraising at the National Trust, has been awarded an OBE for services to conservation in The King's Birthday Honours.
Hilary McGrady CBE, the Trust’s Director-General, said of the announcement: “Celia has made an enormous contribution to our sector - I’m thrilled for her. For eight years, she has led our communications with energy and conviction, shaping our 131-year-old brand to meet the needs of our nations, fiercely defending our reputation and putting people at the heart of every story we tell.
“She has raised heritage and nature up the public agenda and in doing so, has moved many more people to care and to act. And now she is taking on the task of transforming our fundraising, with an ambition to make the Trust one of the great UK fundraising brands.
“We’re all delighted she is being recognised in this way.”
Celia said: “I’m very happy to receive this honour. I love working in a place where thousands of people do their utmost every day to serve the public, and seeing all the skill and passion that entails. Our staff and volunteers care deeply about what they do — from beaver releases and Beatle houses to tea and scones, and they work hard to make sure the National Trust is for everyone. The UK voluntary sector and its people underpin so much of what makes our country work, and I’m grateful and proud to be part of it.”
Celia joined the National Trust in 2018 and is responsible for all aspects of the charity’s communications and fundraising work – from campaigning, media relations, marketing and publishing, to legacy giving and public appeals.
She has spent her career in a variety of not-for-profit organisations, running award-winning campaigns for UK charities and managing communications for public service organisations, including Historic England. She has worked for a number of causes, including mental health, refugee support and urban regeneration. She is regularly named among the most influential communications figures in the UK.
Celia grew up in Burnopfield, Co Durham, near the National Trust’s Gibside estate and attended English Martyrs Comprehensive School in Leadgate and St Bede’s Comprehensive School in Lanchester.