The Lord Mendoza | |
|---|---|
 Mendoza in 2024 | |
| Provost of Oriel College, Oxford | |
| Assumed office 1 September 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Moira Wallace |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 16 September 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Neil Francis Jeremy Mendoza (1959-11-02)2 November 1959 (age 66) London, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School,Elstree |
| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
Neil Francis Jeremy Mendoza, Baron Mendoza,CBE (born 2 November 1959) is a British businessman,academic administrator, and member of theHouse of Lords.[1][2]
Provost ofOriel College Oxford since September 2018,[3] Lord Mendoza also serves asHM GovernmentCommissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal since May 2020.[4]
Neil Francis Jeremy Mendoza was born on 2 November 1959 in London to Martin and Dianne Mendoza.[5] Mendoza was educated atHaberdashers' Aske's Boys' School,Elstree, before going up to readgeography atOriel College, Oxford,matriculating in 1978.[6] He was a founding member of thePiers Gaveston Society.[7]
After periods in banking and film finance, Mendoza co-founded Forward Publishing[8] withWilliam Sieghart in 1986. Forward pioneered thecustom media business in the UK[9] and became one of the leading independent contract publishers. The company specialised in international and multilingual projects with corporate partners includingIBM,Tesco andPatek Philippe & Co.[10] In 2001, Forward was sold toWPP plc.
Mendoza was appointed the UK Government's Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal in May 2020,[4] and, on 31 July 2020, he was elevated to thepeerage,[11] taking his seat on theConservativebenches in theHouse of Lords.
During 2020, he played a leading role in the creation of theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport £2-billionCulture Recovery Fund and is a member of its board.[12]
He chairs the Culture and Heritage Capital Board.[13] He co-chaired a report, Boundless Creativity, for theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and theArts and Humanities Research Council.[14]
In 2016, Mendoza was appointed asCommissioner ofHistoric England by theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,[15] before being appointed as a DCMS non-executive board member.[16]
In 2017, he published the Mendoza Review of Museums in England for the UK Government.[17] In the same year, Mendoza was also the lead reviewer on the Strategic Review of DCMS-sponsored museums conducted under Cabinet Office guidelines.[18][19]
The following year, he became provost atOriel College,Oxford. During his tenure, in 2021, the college decided not to remove a statue ofCecil Rhodes. "What we are doing is not applying for it to be removed," he said. "The governing body has expressed a wish for it to come down, but in the current regulatory and legislative environment it's not going to be possible. This has been a careful, finely balanced debate and we are fully aware of the impact our decision is likely to have in the UK and further afield."[20]
Lord Mendoza is currently Chairman of TheIlluminated River Foundation. He is a non-executive director of Meira GTx, agene therapy company with research facilities in New York and London.[21] He sits on the Board of Visitors for theAshmolean Museum.[22]
In 2020, he was elected anHonorary Fellow ofTrinity College Dublin.[23]
He was previously Chairman ofThe Prince's Foundation for Children and The Arts, Vice-Chair ofSoho Theatre, on the board of theAlmeida Theatre and theShakespeare Schools Foundation. He was also an independent trustee ofThe Daily Mail charity, Mail Force.[24]Appointed to the panel of The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals, he was a judge of theLaurence Olivier Awards for theatre for 2010 and 2011.[25]
Mendoza then served as Chairman of theLandmark Trust, a UK historic building preservation charity, from 2011 to 2021.[26]
He was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2023 New Year Honours for services to arts and culture.[27]
In August 2023, it was announced that Mendoza had been appointed chair of Historic England. Describing it as "a great honour", he said: "I look forward to ensuring the ongoing protection of the nation's heritage estate and demonstrating the importance, beauty and value of our heritage to a wider society."[20]
In July 2020, it was announced that Mendoza had been nominated for alife peerage by Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.[28] On 16 September 2020, he was created a life peer with the titleBaron Mendoza, of King's Reach in the City of London.[29] He sits in theHouse of Lords as aConservative Party peer,[30] and made hismaiden speech on 10 November 2020.[31]
Mendoza married Amelia Wallace in 1993. They have a son and a daughter.[5]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Provost of Oriel College, Oxford 1 September 2018 – present | Incumbent |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Mendoza | Followed by |
