Connie Lovel has been appointed as the new executive director of Manx National Heritage, following Edmund Southworth’s retirement after 12 years.

Mrs Lovel will be coming to the island in early August to take up the post, having worked at the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) for almost seven years.

Like MNH in the island, the NTS is responsible for caring for and promoting Scotland’s natural, built and cultural heritage.

Mrs Lovel had headed the trust’s specialist technical services across its national portfolio of properties and assets.

This included work in collections management, archaeology, building conservation services, planning, education and health and safety.

More recently, Mrs Lovel led the commercial enterprises and estates arm of the NTS’s work, managing land and assets and all its commercial activities - including travel trade, holiday accommodation, hospitality and retail.

MNH described her as having a ’wealth of experience in the heritage and tourism sectors’.

Before working at NTS, Mrs Lovel was chief executive of Mount Stuart Trust on the Isle of Bute, where she was responsible for a rural estate of 11,000 hectares, which includes the Grade A listed Mount Stuart House and gardens.

On this Scottish isle 27 miles west of Glasgow, she was also chairperson of Argyll and the Isles Tourism Co-operative, strategic organisation for the west coast of Scotland.

Before her work in Scotland, Mrs Lovel held the position of managing director of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board.

MNH and its trustees stated that they are looking forward to welcoming Mrs Lovel to the island and working with her.

They also thanked Mr Southworth for his ’significant contribution’ to MNH during his tenure, and wished him well in his retirement.