Manchester Jewish Museum have announced Gemma Meek as their new Chief Executive.
Gemma is no stranger to the museum, having served as Programmes Manager since 2021, where she played a pivotal role in the museum’s growth following our reopening in July 2021.
As CEO, Gemma will lead the delivery of the museum’s mission to be a socially impactful organisation, sharing Jewish stories with the world and highlighting what binds us together rather than what divides us. With strong local community connections and extensive experience in delivering meaningful programming, she is ideally placed to take the museum forward.
Gemma will be on maternity leave from January 2026, and during this time we are pleased to welcome Sue Shave as Interim CEO. Sue brings 35 years of museum experience, including over 20 years as a Museum Director at organisations such as The Jewish Museum London, Discover Bucks Museum, Chiltern Open Air Museum, and Bucks and Coldharbour Mill in Devon.
Most recently, Sue served as Interim Director at The Jewish Museum London (2022–2024), leading its transition to a community-focused delivery model that brought Jewish collections and learning programmes to communities across the UK. For the past four years, Sue has also worked as a queer heritage and museum consultant, supporting project development, fundraising and evaluation for museums, community groups and LGBTQ+ organisations including Queer Britain, Margate Pride and Blackpool We’re Still Here.
