Charlotte Lock, who recently left her role leading marketing at the John Lewis Partnership, has joined the V&A as its director of audiences.

In her new role, Lock will sit on the V&A executive board and be responsible for marketing, brand, audience, communications, digital engagement and experience. She will report to Tim Reeve, the organisation’s deputy director and chief operating officer.

Lock will oversee the delivery of the V&A’s brand and audience strategy, with a focus on audiences under the age of 35, as well as the launch of the V&A’s two new destinations, V&A East Storehouse and V&A East Museum, in 2025 and 2026.

She will also oversee the V&A’s full-funnel marketing activity and approach from brand to exhibitions to retail.

“I am thrilled to be joining the V&A team at such an exciting time and to support the team in the mission to enrich lives and strengthen society through the power of creativity,” Lock says.

John Lewis top marketer Charlotte Lock departs the business

Lock announced her departure from her role as pan-partnership and customer director at John Lewis earlier this month. She first joined the business in February 2022, working across both the John Lewis and Waitrose brands as part of the company’s plan to bring the two closer together to deliver better value and save costs.

Following her departure from the retailer, she wrote on LinkedIn that she would be leaving for a role that fulfills a “personal passion”. She thanked the team at John Lewis for three “intense, rewarding and super-fun years”.

Prior to her role at John Lewis, Lock was the director of data, loyalty and digital products at the Co-op. Before that, she spent almost nine years at the BBC, latterly as director for BBC Sport’s youth strategy.