Catherine Dewar has worked in the planning and heritage sector in the UK for over 30 years, starting in local government on the South coast and Midlands before moving back home to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to work for English Heritage in 2003. After over a decade working across the North East, in 2015 she moved to Manchester to take up the post of Regional Director for Historic England’s North West team.  In 2022, she stepped away from the regional role for a year, leading a programme to help the organisation and sector partners to plan for, and respond to, the impacts of climate change for heritage. In April this year, Catherine left Historic England and set up her own consultancy providing strategic place and heritage advice.