Two new Members appointed to the British Tourist Authority
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Neil Rami and Mary Walsh as Members to the British Tourist Authority (VisitBritain) board.
Neil Rami
Neil Rami is the Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), a public鈥損rivate regional development agency established in 2017 and anchored by local government, universities, and private sector partners. His mandate is to drive business expansion, inward investment and visitor attraction in the West Midlands region of England, aligned with the West Midlands Growth Plan.
Neil previously held senior roles in economic regeneration in Liverpool and Newcastle upon Tyne, where he led initiatives combining enterprise growth, infrastructure聽enhancements, and regional tourism development. At WMGC, he spearheaded the聽Business and Tourism Programme for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,聽coordinating across DCMS, VisitBritain, the Department for Business and Trade and聽regional authorities to boost trade, leisure and business visitor numbers.
Beyond operational leadership, Neil is active at a national and international level. He sits on the UK Visitor Economy Advisory Council, Creative UK Board, and the Foreign Direct聽Investment Leaders Network. He has also served as a governor and Non-Executive聽Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Mary Walsh
Mary Walsh is a senior business leader with extensive experience of the tourism and travel industry. For over a decade she served as Director of Communications on the Executive Committee of聽Eurostar, the cross-Channel high-speed passenger rail service. In this role, she led media and internal communications, public affairs and stakeholder engagement across multiple markets, championing tourism and travel between the UK聽and mainland Europe. Prior to Eurostar, Mary was Director of Corporate Relations at Lloyds Banking Group and Director of Public Relations at professional services firm PKF.聽
聽In addition to her executive career, Mary has a strong track record of non-executive leadership in the charitable and social enterprise sectors. She sits on the board of Cruse, the nationwide bereavement support charity, and she is an Advisor to the FTSE Women Leaders Review, the government-backed, business-led initiative aimed at increasing women鈥檚 representation on the boards and leadership teams of the UK鈥檚 biggest companies.聽聽
Mary鈥檚 previous board roles include Urban Partners, the community-based partnership made up of organisations in the King鈥檚 Cross/St Pancras area, and the Franco-British Council聽which is focused on strengthening the links between the UK and France.聽
Neil Rami and Mary Walsh聽have been appointed for terms of five years, commencing on 1 September 2025.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Members of the British Tourist Authority are remunerated聽拢3,840 per annum.聽These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office鈥檚聽. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.聽
Neil Rami has declared no political activity.聽
Mary Walsh has declared that she canvassed for the Labour Party in 2024. She has undertaken no other political activity.
Notes to Editors
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42聽Public Bodies聽including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. To find out more about Public Appointments or to apply visit the聽.