Neal Shasore announced as the LSA’s new CEO

The London School of Architecture has announced the appointment of Neal Shasore as the new Head of School and Chief Executive Officer. Neal will begin his tenure at the LSA at the end of June 2021, taking over from Founder and current CEO, Will Hunter.

Crispin Kelly, Chair of the Board of Trustees said:

“The Trustees are delighted to announce the appointment of Neal Shasore as the new Head of School (and CEO) of the London School of Architecture. Neal will build on the work of its founder Will Hunter, and has a compelling vision for an architectural education and practice which enthusiastically tackles the challenge of a future which is sustainable, diverse and equitable.

The appointment of Neal Shasore reflects the LSA’s ongoing progressive agenda for architectural education. His vision for the future of the school, its pedagogical ambitions and wider engagement were considered outstanding.”

Neal Shasore said:

“It’s a huge privilege to be appointed by the Trustees to succeed Will Hunter as Head of School. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my interactions with the LSA’s talented and driven students.  I am looking forward to working more closely with them, and with our pioneering teaching and operations teams as the school develops over the coming years.

The LSA’s innovative model is more needed than ever as architectural education meets the challenge of the government’s emerging higher education policy. More profoundly, providing accessible, inclusive and creative educational opportunities for aspiring and practising built environment professionals has taken on even greater urgency as the RIBA and ARB develop plans to embed ethical practice and drive-up competency after the tragedy of the fire at Grenfell Tower and following our departure from the EU.

Building on the team’s successes in creating a thriving, collegial and dynamic school in under a decade, I’m looking forward to expanding the LSA’s educational programme and deepening our relationship with our partners and practice network. In all this, we’ll redouble our commitment to diversity, inclusivity and design in the service of environmental and social justice.”

Adding to this comment, Crispin Kelly said:

“Appointing a candidate who could continue and build upon the work of the LSA’s Founder, Will Hunter, was always going to be a challenge, but the Selection Committee were delighted to have a number of excellent candidates to consider, and we thank all of them for their interest in the LSA.”

Neal Shasore graduated from the University of Oxford with a DPhil in Architectural History, an MA in History of Art and MSt in the History of Art and Visual Culture. He was awarded a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship at the University of Liverpool, based in the school of architecture.

Previously Neal was a Visiting Lecturer to the University of Cambridge’s architecture school and has held posts at RIBA and the University of Westminster. Since 2019, he has also been a course tutor for the MArch professional practice studio at the Royal College of Art.

Neal holds a number of Trusteeships which include: The Architectural Heritage Fund; The Twentieth Century Society; The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) (where he was also Honorary Secretary); and was a member of the Research and Innovation Advisory Group of RIBA.

Neal’s forthcoming books include:

• Designs on Democracy: Architecture and the Public in Interwar London (forthcoming, OUP, 2021)
• 66 Portland Place: Architecture, Identity and the Royal Institute of British Architects (forthcoming, RIBA Publishing, 2021)
• Reconstruction: Architecture, the Built Environment and the Aftermath of the First World War (forthcoming, Bloomsbury Academic, 2021) Neal Shasore and Jessica Kelly (eds.)