At Harewood, we believe in fostering an environment where women can thrive, grow, and lead.

Today, we’re celebrating the journeys of Collections Care and Access Assistant Sophie Barraclough, Events Manager Victoria Sigsworth and Head of Commercial and Visitor Experience Natalie Holmes who have navigated challenges, embraced opportunities, and carved out their own paths.

Join us in championing a more inclusive, equitable future.

Sophie Barraclough

Collections Care and Access Officer

I started working at Harewood House Trust as a Visitor Experience (VE) Team Member in September 2018 straight after finishing my degree in History and Archaeology at the University of Liverpool. I had always been keen to learn more about how to care for historic collections and fortunately the collections team at Harewood allowed me to volunteer one day a week. I volunteered for 2 years before I was able to apply for a permanent role as a Collections Care and Access Assistant in January 2022.

After three years working as a Collections Care Assistant, I am now a Collections Care and Access Officer at Harewood. None of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement from the collections team during my initial volunteering, which allowed me to develop all the skills and confidence I needed to be able to progress to my current role. I am also grateful to have been employed as a VE team member which allowed me to start my career at Harewood.

Victoria Sigsworth

Events Manager

I joined Harewood in 2012 as part of the Visitor Experience Team, before moving into the Events team in 2014. Fast forward over a decade later, and a promotion, and I’ve now been in my current position as Events Manager for 6 years. I’ve worked in a variety of different roles in my 13 years at Harewood, all of which have led me to where I am now and none of which would have been possible, without the support from the wider Harewood team.

My wonderful team and I look after all commercial events and filming at Harewood. As it’s such a varied and diverse area of the business, no two days are the same and that’s one of the things I enjoy most about my role; the variety. One day I could be stood in the middle of an event field in my wellies directing traffic, the next I could be managing an exclusive drinks reception in the House for a prestigious brand, or even royalty.

I feel incredibly lucky to work at such a beautiful place and the Georgian House, surrounded by acres of stunning parkland, provides the perfect backdrop for any event. We’re looking forward to another busy events season this year and one event that I’m personally particularly excited about is Goodlife Festival. Making it’s debut on Sat 28th June, this new boutique music festival promises to be a celebration of music, gourmet street food and unforgettable festival experiences.

Natalie Holmes

Head of Commercial and Visitor Experience

When I first came to Harewood, I joined in the role of Event Manager. Harewood has always had a really exciting and diverse event calendar, which is what really appealed to me in the first instance. My personal event highlight was the delivery of a 10,000 strong Michael Bublé concert with my team back in 2022.

My background was largely hospitality based, so I quite quickly moved to managing both events and catering operations, which is no mean feat. Over the years, as we’ve taken more of the commercial operations in house, I’ve really thrived on the challenge of making these fit cohesively with the Harewood brand and most recently have the enviable job of leading the Commercial and Visitor Experience teams, to drive income generation and deliver a world class experience for all of our wonderful visitors.

Harewood is a very special place, filled with special people, who care deeply about its future. In my 13 years, I have always felt very supported in my career progression and empowered to be imaginative in my approach to new opportunities. I have had the privilege of working with so many incredible women (and men) in my time at Harewood and we are all deeply supportive of one another.

Representation matters

Research highlights that the arts, culture, and heritage workforce in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is significantly less ethnically diverse than the general workforce. According to the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre’s (Creative PEC) 2021 report, Arts, Culture and Heritage: Audiences and Workforce, 90% of individuals in the sector are white, compared with 85% in the wider workforce.

At Harewood House Trust, we recognise this imbalance and are committed to diversifying our team through inclusive recruitment practices, providing training for staff and volunteers and embedding a culture of mutual respect.