Sir William Proby named chairman of the National Trust

Sir William Proby, chairman of Swift Technologies Ltd, director of Pavilion Angel Investors Ltd and himself an historic house owner, has been named chairman of the National Trust, in succession to Charles Nunneley. Sir Henry Aubrey Fletcher became deputy chairman on the retirement of Jonathan Peel at the end of last month. Following the restructuring of its organisation last year and the retirement of Simon Jervis, the director of historic buildings, the National Trust has appointed Merlin Waterson, the regional director for East Anglia, as the first Historic Properties Director, a post that includes a place on the trust’s management board. Tim Knox, the trust’s architectural historian, has become chief curator with responsibility for the regional lead and property lead curators who advise the trust’s 11 regional directors.