From left, Pandora Mather Lees, Harriet Bridgeman, Victoria Bridgeman

Lady Bridgeman, founder of The Bridgeman Art Library, announced a new structure for the management of her company.

Pandora Mather Lees has been promoted from deputy managing director to joint managing director, along with Victoria Bridgeman, currently head of special projects. Edward Whitley, manager of Bridgeman’s New York office, has been elevated to President of Bridgeman Art Library International.  All three have also been made Company directors. Harriet Bridgeman will continue to head the company as Executive Chairman.

The new appointments mark a shift in company structure which sees Harriet Bridgeman taking more of a supervisory role, with the three new directors jointly taking on the running of the company and reporting to her. Of the changes, Harriet Bridgeman said:
“I have come to realise that I may not be immortal and I’ve started to plan for my eventual succession. I aim to ensure the continuation of The Bridgeman Art Library as an independent, family-owned company with an international reputation in a specialist field and a culture of genuinely caring for all its employees. For this reason I want to give Victoria Bridgeman greater experience and exposure to the challenges of management and reward Pandora and Edward for their long-term commitment and contribution to the company.”

The changes will see Pandora taking responsibility for sales activities and special projects, while Victoria will oversee the support services – accounts, IT, admin and collections. Edward will continue to run the American operations, co-ordinating with Pandora for sales and marketing.

“I feel that these changes will benefit everyone working in the company by clarifying individual roles and responsibilities’, Harriet Bridgeman said. “For my part, it will give me a chance to devote more time to certain aspects of the company that I’d like to develop. In particular, I intend to focus on the outward-looking aspects of the company’s relations with the trade, museums and government; the changing technology of the industry and the knock-on effects that this brings to all of us. I am certainly not planning to retire yet!”