Maria Bastidas-Spence

Principal Conservator @Royal Navy Museums

Portsmouth, GB

As Principal Conservator at NMRN, I lead conservation across multiple sites, supporting the care of historic ships, aircraft, and over 2.5 million objects. I manage a team of two conservators and one conservation technician, overseeing preventive conservation, IPM, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness. I ensure compliance with health and safety standards while promoting inclusive leadership and professional development. I contribute to capital projects, representing conservation in board meetings and advocating for best practice in collections care. I lead the Collections Salvage Plan and coordinate risk mitigation through incident reporting and data analysis. I support loans, digitisation, and collections access, and raise the museum’s profile through sector engagement, partnerships, and public outreach. My role includes cross-site support, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning, ensuring conservation is embedded in institutional priorities.