1. You are here:
  2. Homepage
  3. About us
  4. Who we are

Who we are

Icon was founded in 2005 and now plays a key role in championing the care of cultural heritage and supporting the conservation profession

Icon raises awareness of the cultural, social and economic value of caring for heritage and champions high standards of conservation. 

We are:

  • An independent charity governed by a Board of Trustees.
  • A membership organisation representing around 2,300 individuals and organisations, including professional conservators, volunteers and owners of cultural heritage.
  • A professional body raising the standards of conservation practice through Accreditation, a Code of Conduct, Professional Standards and Complaints Procedure.
  • A small enterprise with 8 employees offering expertise in membership services, finance, professional development, communication, strategy, policy and advocacy.
Trustees

Icon's Board of Trustees

Icon is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees with wide and varied experience in conservation and related sectors

View more
Trustees

Our Staff

Icon’s staff team is based in central London near Farringdon station

View more

Our History

Icon was founded in 2005, from the merger of 5 bodies: The Care of Collections Forum, The Institute of Paper Conservation, The Photographic Materials Conservation Group, The Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration and The United Kingdom Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Between 2005 and 2016, Icon owned The Chantry Library - a collection of publications concerning paper and book conservation, established in 1999 by Mrs Beatrix Chantry in memory of her daughter, Judith. In 2016, ownership passed over to the Oxford Conservation Consortium. 

Our values

The following values underpin all our activities:

  • Work with integrity: we are open and honest and do what we believe is best for our shared cultural heritage, the public and our members.
  • Be inclusive: we value diversity and ensure that opportunities are open to all those who want to care for our heritage.
  • Be forward and outward-looking: we keep our eyes on the horizon and on the world around us.
  • Be ambitious advocates: both for our organisation and the things we believe in.
  • Be collaborative and generous: we work with our members and partners to achieve the best results together.
  • Uphold high standards: we value, support and promote the expertise and professionalism of our members and partners.

Icon's Policy on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

As a membership and representative organisation, employer, and charity, Icon is deeply committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), placing these values at the heart of everything we do.

Further details can be found in Icon's EDI Policy Statement and Icon's EDI Objectives and Deliverables 

Icon EDI Policy Statement 2024 Icon EDI Objectives and Deliverables 2024