LONDON.- One of Britain's leading retail marketeers, Stephen Robertson, has been appointed the first Non-Executive Board member of the National Portrait Gallery Company Ltd.

Director General of the British Retail Consortium, Stephen Robertson, 54, represents UK retail interests in lobbying and informing government in Westminster, Edinburgh and Brussels, as well as handling extensive media relations. The BRC has 50 employees and benefits from a successful trading arm, running events and publications..

Prior to the BRC, he was Marketing Director of Woolworths Group plc and Retail Marketing Director of WH Smith plc. Stephen spent 10 years at Kingfisher where he served as Marketing Director of B&Q plc before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct and then becoming Director of Group Communications at Kingfisher, and Managing Director of the sponsorship of round-the-world yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.

As a non-executive member of the National Portrait Gallery Company Ltd, Mr Robertson will help ensure that the Company's strategic planning is determined on the best business principles, while also complementing the strategic objectives of the Gallery. He will further the commercial aims and objectives of the Company and advise on the development of new areas of business.

The National Portrait Gallery Company Ltd is a wholly owned trading subsidiary of the National Portrait Gallery and was incorporated in December 2006. The purpose of the Company is to undertake the Gallery's non-primary purpose trading activities, to increase the resources available to the many public programmes run by the Gallery, and to assist the Gallery in finding resources to support the considerable success it has achieved in recent years in attracting increasing numbers of visitors.

The Company's business consists of the Gallery's three shops and online retail offer, venue hire, which includes use of the galleries and the Portrait Restaurant; and the management of the catering franchise for the Gallery's restaurant and café, (held currently by Searcy on a five-year contract).

The Company began trading on 1 April 2007 and its turnover as at 31 March 2008 was over £2 million, with profits of over £500,000. Company profits are gift aided to the Gallery. Such a company follows the pattern set by other national museums and galleries in the UK, with its own board members, currently comprising of four Directors, the Director of the Gallery (Sandy Nairne), the Chairman of the Trustees (Professor David Cannadine), the Head of Trading (Robert Carr-Archer), the Communications and Development Director and Deputy Director (Pim Baxter) and the Head of Finance and Planning (Nick Hanks), who is the Company Secretary.

Stephen Robertson says: 'The National Portrait Gallery is an iconic gallery and a part of Britain's heritage. I am delighted to be serving on the Company Board. I have enjoyed visiting the gallery for many years and I can now look forward to contributing to the development of its commercial aims.'

Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London, says: 'I am delighted that Stephen Robertson has joined the Company Board - I am certain he will be a great asset to the Gallery.'