Abbie Fox-Smith, Director of Visitor Experience at the House of Commons
Abbie started her visitor experience career in 1996 working in local theatres in Gloucestershire. In 2005 she moved to Cardiff to join Wales Millenium Centre as Senior Visitor Operations Manager, leading the front of house teams welcoming audiences to everything from Welsh National Opera to the Royal Variety Performance. She then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford as Head of Theatre Operations, a period that saw the RSC undertake their first live broadcast into cinemas worldwide. In 2014 Abbie joined the Royal Collection Trust as Head of Visitor Experience for Windsor Castle. During this time Windsor underwent a significant capital programme to improve the visitor experience and hosted some major Royal events including the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration and the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Abbie has been Director of Visitor Experience at the Houses of Parliament since November 2019.