PAUL BELFORD
Creative and ethical leadership in cultural heritage
USING THE PAST TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE
Paul is the founder and CEO of Heritage Innovation. He has more than 30 years’ experience managing a diverse range of cultural heritage and archaeology projects, and organisations — working for governments, NGOs and in the private sector in the UK and internationally.
Expertise
- Cultural heritage management, conservation and archaeology
- Urban regeneration, urban archaeology and industrial heritage
- Museums, public engagement and heritage interpretation
Skills
- Ethical and pragmatic application of policy
- Governance, strategic leadership and business development
- Leadership of large multi-disciplinary teams and complex projects
Experience
- Several years' leadership in for-profit consultancies, delivering international cultural heritage projects and programmes
- More than ten years as CEO of a UK not-for-profit cultural heritage organisation providing services to public and private sector clients, including national and local government
- Over ten years leading and expanding a profitable commercial heritage/archaeology team within one of the UK’s leading independent museums
- A decade managing archaeological collections and monuments in a World Heritage Site, leading multi-agency heritage-led conservation and research projects, with budgets up to GBP 10m / USD 13m
- More than twenty years' experience as non-executive director for a diverse range of heritage organisations and visitor attractions, with annual turnover up to GBP 650m / USD 860m
- Wide-ranging service on public and professional committees
- Extensive university teaching and mentoring, including delivering international collaborative research projects
- Author of seven books and over 70 peer-reviewed academic and professional publications
Accreditations
- Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA)
- Affiliate of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP)
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA)
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) A2 CoC UAV licence
Qualifications
- PhD (University of York)
- MA (University of Sheffield)
- BSc (University of Sheffield)
More information about Paul can be found on LinkedIn.
Paul Belford's CV (pdf)
DownloadThe technical accomplishment and timely delivery which Paul consistently achieves are exemplary ... I wholeheartedly recommend Paul as an exceedingly proficient professional with a deserved reputation as one of the country's leading heritage consultants.
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Recent professional engagement
International conferences
European Association of Archaeologists
- Dr Belford is a regular contributor to the annual meetings of the EAA, which he has attended since 2002. His recent focus has been on ethics in archaeological practice, urban archaeology and heritage management. He has led sessions and presented papers at recent EAA conferences in Belgrade (2025), Rome (2024) and Budapest (2022).
UN Cultural Heritage Symposium
- Review of EU / UN cultural heritage regeneration projects in Albania, focussing on visitor management, disaster risk management and conservation planning. Workshops and presentations were hosted by UNOPS and Abkons in 2024 in Tiranë, with Albanian, Kosovan, UK and Italian colleagues.
European Archaeological Council
- Dr Belford provided the keynote presentation at the 2024 EAC meeting in Brussels, on the subject of 'time, space and people' in urban archaeology. The conference theme was: 'Urban archaeology and the cities of tomorrow'.
Recent books and articles
Ethics in Archaeological Practice
by Paul Belford and Gerry Wait, published by Routledge (London, UK)
- How to define and deliver ethical approaches to designing and managing archaeological projects and people in commercial and regulatory frameworks, with case studies from the UK and around the world.
Time, space and people: urban archaeology and urban futures
by Paul Belford, published in Internet Archaeology, 70. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.70.2.
- Reflections on a range of issues around urban archaeology in European contexts, focusing on the contribution that the discipline can make to placemaking for future generations.
Managing Archaeology in Dynamic Urban Centres
by Paul Belford and Jeroen Bouwmeester (editors), published by Sidestone (Leiden, NL)
- Case studies exploring the method and practice of development-driven urban archaeology in Lithuania, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Israel.
Ensuring archaeology in the planning system delivers public benefit
by Paul Belford, published in Public Archaeology, 18:4. 191-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/14655187.2020.1833525
- Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the ways in which archaeology and cultural heritage is managed through the planning system in England. Includes an overview of the history of the development of heritage protections in UK legislation.
Politics and heritage: developments in historic environment policy and practice in Wales
by Paul Belford, published in The Historic Environment: Policy and Practice, 9:2. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17567505.2018.1456721
- Analysis of changes in policy and practice resulting from legislation passed by Welsh Government. Review of the origins and development of heritage and planning policy in Wales, the role of the various institutions involved in delivering it, and some of the future challenges in the devolved environment.
Blood, faith and iron
by Paul Belford, published by Archaeopress (Oxford, UK)
- New research on the extent of industrialisation in England during the 16th and 17th centuries - and the degree to which Catholic families were involved in the development of new technologies and creative innovation.
Adding value: an independent system of accreditation for archaeology and cultural heritage
by Paul Belford and Gerry Wait, published in Archäologische Informationen, 41. 55-64. https://doi.org/10.11588/ai.2018.0.56916
- Review of different models of professional accreditation across Europe, and the role of ethics in developing new frameworks and guidance for professional behaviour in the fields of archaeology and cultural heritage.
A full list of Paul's publications can be downloaded here.
Paul Belford's publications (pdf)
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