British historian, curator and broadcaster Gus Casely-Hayford has been appointed the inaugural director of V&A East, the South Kensington museum's east London outpost.
Casely-Hayford will leave his post as director of the David Adjaye-designed Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, US, to begin his new role at V&A East early next year.
"I feel enormously privileged to be asked to become part of the fantastic V&A team," said Casely-Hayford.
"It has long been the arts institution that I have looked to for innovation and inspiration. And what a brief ? working to deliver a new museum for east London. And what a collection ? the most thrilling single body of material culture I have ever encountered." Casely-Hayford will leave the Smithsonian Museum of African Art
Casely-Hayford was previously an executive director of arts strategy for Arts Council England, and has sat on the board of the National Trust and National Portrait Gallery.
He has lectured widely and advised cultural institutions including the Tate galleries, as well as presenting TV shows including Lost Kingdoms of Africa for BBC Four. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to arts and culture in 2018.
He will be responsible for the programming and creative strategy of the museum's Stratford outpost, which comprises a five-storey museum, and an archive collection and research centre.

The museum, on Stratford Waterfront in the Que...