Apologies for cross posting.

NEW DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES
EMPHASISES BRITISH LIBRARY COMMITMENT
TO INNOVATION AND VALUE

Ian Millar has been appointed as the new Director of Finance and Corporate
Resources the British Library announced today. The post has been created as
part of the wider restructuring of the British Library’s top tier of
management and will link finance with other areas of corporate resource
management - Human Resources, Estates and Information Systems - helping to
achieve value across the organisation.

Working within the management team, the new Director of Finance and
Corporate Resources will play a major role in helping the Library to
deliver its vision of extending access to a wider user-base and developing
a digital future for its collections and services.

‘The creation of a new top management team emphasises the Library’s
commitment to innovation and value’, commented Chief Executive Lynne
Brindley.  ‘Ian Millar will play a key part in this - helping to decide
priority areas for management attention and investment and ensuring that
the Library focuses on activities where both public benefit and financial
viability are assured’.

This new post carries responsibility for many important change issues’, she
continued.  ‘Besides leading on finance matters, Ian Millar will be
responsible for advising on commercial projects and on partnerships and
joint ventures; achieving cost savings within the major areas of
expenditure; and handling the Library’s links with Government and key
political decision makers.’

Ian Millar joined the Library as Director of Finance and Planning on 1
December 1999.  A qualified accountant, he previously worked for Royal and
Sun Alliance as a senior business manager within their Corporate
Partnerships Division and for a number of public and commercial
organisations in financial and business management roles.

The creation of the new Finance and Corporate Resources directorate
involves major internal management changes for the Library.  It is
envisaged that work to integrate finance with other areas of corporate
resource management will proceed gradually, with the Library’s Estates,
Human Resources and Information Systems functions migrating into the new
directorate over the next two years.  The new Director of Finance and
Corporate Resources, alongside the Chief Executive, will be the other
executive member of the Board.

Commenting on his appointment, Ian Millar said: ‘Finance and planning,
human resources, estates management and information services have critical
roles to play within the major national asset that is the British Library.
Drawing together these key services will provide a cohesive engine room to
support the Library through the major change ahead.

For further information, please contact Greg Hayman at the British Library
Press Office on 020 7412 7111, or email [log in to unmask]

NOTES

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one
of the world’s greatest research libraries. The Library’s collection has
developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items
representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books,
journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound
recordings in all written and spoken languages. Key users of the Library’s
collections and services other than the above are independent researchers
and people working in the library and information science sector. Further
information is available on the Library’s website at www.bl.uk.
The Library’s new management team, which includes the Chief Executive,
features a director for each of five newly created directorates: Finance
and Corporate Resources; Scholarship and Collections, Operations and
Services, Strategic Marketing and Communications; and e-Strategy and
Programmes.  The appointment of Clive Field, the new Director of
Scholarship and Collections has already been announced.

ENDS