Press release: Durham Cathedral announces new Chief Operating Officer

Notes to editors

 Biography

Guy grew up on a farm in Yorkshire, brought up in a low income single-parent household. Guy’s formative years were shaped by helping to care for his mother, who had significant mental illness, with support from family and the local rural community. Attending the local comprehensive school, Guy developed an interest in history, and went on to study History and Ancient History at Leicester University, where he gained a First Class degree in 2008. Guy’s history dissertation was on Eleventh Century Northumbria and it was whilst writing this that he visited Durham Cathedral for the first time, to see one of the most important places in the history of the region.

Seeking a profession which was aligned with his rural background, Guy went on to obtain an MSc in Rural Environment and Land Management at Harper Adams University College, before moving to work in Northumberland, qualifying as a rural practice chartered surveyor in 2011. Guy has latterly worked for Savills, where he became one of the youngest directors in the business in 2022. Guy’s practice in the North-East has involved him in a wide variety of work, centred around advising and problem solving across the rural economy, environment and property sector. Initially focussing on landlord and tenant negotiations, Guy's career latterly has centred around estate management. This includes responsibility for caring for significant heritage buildings, complex business management, strategic and operational decision-making, and financial planning. Guy is passionate about helping people be the best they can be, and positive workplace culture.

Durham Cathedral is a Christian Church of the Anglican Communion, the shrine of St Cuthbert, the seat of the Bishop of Durham and a focus of pilgrimage and spirituality in North East England.  It inhabits a treasured sacred space set in the natural and human landscape of the World Heritage Site.

Its purpose is to worship God, share the gospel of Jesus Christ, welcome all who come, celebrate and pass on its rich Christian heritage and discover its place in God’s creation. 

The building of Durham Cathedral commenced in 1093 and took around 40 years to complete.  It replaced a Saxon cathedral built by the Community of St Cuthbert after it arrived in Durham in 995 following its flight from the ‘Holy Island’ of Lindisfarne 80 miles North of Durham.   The body of St Cuthbert is enshrined in the Feretory at Durham Cathedral and the Tomb of the Venerable Bede is in The Galilee Chapel.    The Cathedral existed as a Benedictine Monastery until 1539 when it became one of the Church of England’s major Cathedrals.  

It continues to be a focus for pilgrimage and pre-covid saw around 750,000 visitors each year from all over the world.  The Cathedral has internationally important collections of artefacts, manuscripts and books that include St Cuthbert’s coffin and his pectoral cross; superb examples of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship. Durham Cathedral is often referred to as the best example of Romanesque architecture in Europe, or as American writer Bill Bryson put it, ‘the best Cathedral on planet earth.’ 

Since its construction Durham Cathedral has been alive with people and a centre for community activity.  The Cathedral is home to a vibrant worshipping community and continues to celebrate the English Choral Tradition with sung services by its highly acclaimed Choir.   As a new century unfolds Durham Cathedral aspires to enrich the many different ways in which it engages with people and organisations.  It is cherished equally by those who live, work and study in the region and by those who come to visit. 

Find more information at www.durhamcathedral.co.uk