Durham Cathedral is pleased to announce the appointment of two new non-executive members of Chapter, the governance body which oversees the life and mission of the Cathedral. Dr Apollo Tutesigensi and Professor Stefanie Sheen were appointed by the Chapter after a competitive search process and will be installed as Lay Canons at a special service of Evensong on Sunday 6 October.
Dr. Tutesigensi is Associate Professor in the School of Civil Engineering in the University of Leeds and Prof. Sheen is Professor of Organization Studies within Durham University Business School. Both are also members of the worshipping community at Durham Cathedral.
Welcoming their appointment, the Dean of Durham, the Very Revd Dr. Philip Plyming, commented,
‘I am delighted that Apollo and Stefanie will be bringing their diverse and relevant experience to the Chapter of Durham Cathedral. We are at an exciting stage in our journey as we develop our vision and strategy for 2033, which is the 900th anniversary of the completion of Durham Cathedral. I know that Apollo and Stefanie will make an excellent contribution to the vital task of good governance as we discern what it means for us to be faithful to God’s calling in this generation.’
The Vice-Chair of Chapter, Paul Chandler added,
‘We were delighted to have an excellent field of applicants for these positions, and Apollo and Stefanie will bring valuable additional skills and perspectives to Chapter alongside the benefits of their being existing members of our congregation with good understanding of the Cathedral’s mission and work. With these appointments the Chapter will have a majority of non-executive members for the first time in our history, which we believe is an important step forward in the Cathedral's governance’.
The appointments, which required the consent of the Acting Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Sarah Clark, are part of the Cathedral implementing the new governance measures of the Cathedrals Measure 2021, which also involved the Cathedral being fully registered with the Charity Commission.