David Fursdon and John R Walker CBE have been appointed commissioners of English Heritage. Making the announcement, culture minister Margaret Hodge said that their terms of appointment will run from 1 February 2010 to 31 January 2014.

Fursdon is a Crown Estate commissioner also serving on the Commission's Audit and Remuneration Committees, a board member of the South West Regional Development Agency and a director on the board of the Historic Houses Association. Until November 2008, Walker was chief executive of English Partnerships, the UK government's national regeneration agency. He is a board member with both the Esh Group of companies and the Wynyard Park trust and serves on English Heritage's Audit Committee.

English Heritage has responsibility for all aspects of protecting and promoting the historic environment. It is the statutory adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport on listing and heritage matters, manages over 400 historic properties, and disburses some £35m a year in conservation and archaeology grants. It is also responsible for the National Monuments Record, the central archive for the historic environment in England. The Commission is the governing body of English Heritage, and the commissioners have corporate responsibility for the organisation.