Our People

Ms Rachel Davies

Ordinary Fellow

Director of Operations, Ashmolean Museum

BA (Hons) (Bristol)

Having studied History at Bristol University, Rachel joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in London to train as a Chartered Accountant. After 10 years working in the private sector for organisations such as The Observer Newspaper and Walt Disney, Rachel decided to turn to the arts, taking the MA course in Museum and Gallery Management at City University. This led to a role in the Tate Modern Project Team, responsible for the financial aspects of transforming the disused power station into the cultural icon it is today. Once the project was complete, Rachel became part of the Tate Modern Senior Management Team. Following a move to the Midlands, Rachel joined Compton Verney, an art gallery in Warwickshire, when it was also a building project. As a new and independent organisation it needed to make its mark, build an audience and create an operating model that was self-supporting and sustainable. In this context Rachel was responsible for the delivery of the initial capital project to open the gallery, the development of the Business Plan including managing 50% cuts to core income, setting up retail, outsourcing catering and establishing and growing a hire business. In her role as Director of Operations at the Ashmolean, Rachel is responsible for building an integrated and cost effective approach to managing, maintaining and developing Museum operations to deliver an excellent and inclusive visitor experience and create a good working environment for staff and volunteers. Rachel focuses on strategic and financial planning, capital projects and human resources and is the departmental lead on EDI and Environmental Sustainability.