New members appointed to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee.

HM Treasury announced today (1 July 2016) the newly-appointed members of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee:

• Mr Phil Baines will take up the position of the Committee’s Lettering Expert. This vacancy arose as a result of Mr Stephen Raw reaching the end of his ten year term in office
• Dame Julia Peyton-Jones will fill the position of the Museums Sector Member following the resignation of Mr Tim Knox
• Dr Nicholas Cullinan will take the position of an Art Historian on the Committee after an internal review that found the need for more art historical advice
• The term of Lord Waldegrave, the Chair of the Committee, has also been extended for a further 5 years

The appointment of Mr Phil Baines and extension of Lord Waldegraves term of office took effect on 9 May. The appointments of Dame Julia Peyton-Jones and Dr Nicholas Cullinan took effect on 6 June.

These appointments are for an initial term of 5 years, with the option of a further 5-year term.

Further Information

1. The Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the Design of Coins, Medals, Seals and Decorations was established in 1922 with the personal approval of King George V. Its purpose is to advise the Chancellor of the Exchequer on new designs for United Kingdom coins and to advise other Government departments on new designs for official medals and seals. It is classed as an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (Lower Tier).
2. Professor Baines currently works at the art and design college of Central St Martins. Dr Cullinan is currently the Director of the National Portrait Gallery. Dame Julia Peyton-Jones was previously the Director of the Serpentine Gallery. Dame Julia Peyton-Jones is also a member of the Royal Fine Arts Commission Trust and the Honours Committee.
3. The above appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. An exemption from the normal process was however made for the position of the Lettering Expert due to the specialist nature of this role.
4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. All candidates have confirmed that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last 5 years.